I think that we have to learn to balance risk against risk. Waterless hand sanitizers have been with us for quite some time and they are great in situations where there is no soap and water: e.g., "vault toilets" in public campgrounds or the porta-potties at big events.

They have been shown to dramatically reduce bed-to-bed contamination in hospitals, which is usually caused by medical personnel failing to wash their hands before examining another patient. Doctors and nurses hang a small tube of the hand cleanser on their clothes and use it when walking from one patient to the next.

Would you rather have E. Coli or Staph. A. or take the very slight risk represented by these hand cleaners?

Polio was found to be caused by ingestion of fecal-contaminated food and other things (Take that finger out of your mouth NOW!!), for example. So is cholera, dysentery, and a host of other diseases ranging from those causing mild discomfort to those that will kill you in pretty horrible ways.

We live in a shell, and our defenses are actually few. I'll take every advantage I can get.