If your New Year's Resolution was to quit smoking, lose weight, and start eating healthier; congratulations, you're well on your way to living a longer, healthier life. Unfortunately, even if you're eating the best diet and working out regularly, you could still be setting yourself up for serious disease from a dangerous toxin you willingly use each and every day.

That toxin is called Triclosan and if you carry around a small bottle of antibacterial gel in your purse or glove compartment, you may be slathering it on each and every day. You'll want to check that anti-bacterial gel, and many other products in your home, to make sure they do not contain this toxic substance.

Alcohol based hand sanitizers, such as those containing ethanol, are much better. There is no doubt that alcohol based hand sanitizers save lives and reduce the transmission of infectious diseases without the dangers associated with Triclosan.

What is Triclosan?

Triclosan is a synthetically-derived antibacterial, antifungal agent. It was first patented in 1966 by the Colgate-Palmolive Corporation. A year later the first Triclosan-based antibacterial bar soap hit the market. During the 1970s, Triclosan-based products were used primarily by surgeons as a pre-operative scrubbing agent. It wasn't until the mid 1980s that antibacterial soap and other products containing Triclosan hit the mainstream.

How Triclosan Became So Popular

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