Dr. Michael F. Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic shares another good reason to keep washing your hands.

Frequent washing - with warm water and soap, please - helps prevent the spread of germs that lead to colds and flu (which saves you a lot of discomfort, as well as money you would have spent on Kleenex). But here's another reason to continue scrubbing: to avoid bisphenol-A, or BPA for short.You may have heard about the dangers of BPA in terms of baby bottles and plastic toys. But it's more prevalent than that. BPA is found in 98 percent of food can linings and in more than 75 percent of receipts from gas stations and restaurants.It's a big molecule - too big to be absorbed through your skin. Unless, of course, your food touches BPA before you eat it - as the food in a can does, or as would happen if you touch the receipt and then eat your takeout food. Then quite a lot of BPA gets inside you.Scientists now believe BPA is an endocrine disrupter that disrupts your normal endocrine activities by stimulating many estrogen receptors. BPA is believed to be almost as deadly as secondhand smoke - you got it, like tobacco smoke, BPA promotes cancer and a host of other diseases.BPA is known to cause premature maturity in female children and decreased sperm counts and sperm function in adult men.BPA is logically thought to be a cause of increased breast cancer and possibly prostate cancer as well.It's easier than washing your car to protect yourself from this unnecessary cause of health problems. Avoid canned foods and plastic water bottles that do not say "BPA free," and listen to your mom: Wash your hands, especially after touching receipts.Here are five steps for washing your hands properly:• Wet. Run clean warm or cold water over your hands. Turn off the water and apply soap.• Lather. Rub your hands together to create a lather; make sure the soap gets between your fingers, on the backs of your hands, and under your nails.• Scrub. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Sing or hum "Happy Birthday" twice for the perfect low-tech timer.• Rinse. Use clean running water to remove the soap.• Dry. Use a clean towel or paper towel, or air-dry your hands.