Personally I don’t use antibacterial soaps because I know that they are a scam.
Antibacterial soaps and body washes containing the chemical triclosan don’t have extra health benefits compared with regular soap and water, the Food and Drug Administration said today on its Web site.
Triclosanis a commonly used pesticide that has been added to many products such as antibacterial soaps, toothpase, computer keyboards, clothing, shopping bags and hundreds of consumer products. Just what you would want in your hand soap.
There’s also some concern that triclosan contributes to bacteria’s increasing resistance to antibiotics, the FDA said. The Environmental Protection Agency, meanwhile, is updating its own assessment of triclosan and has said it plans to work with the FDA to “better characterize the endocrine-related effects” of the compound.
An article coauthored by Dr. Stuart Levy in the August 6, 1998 issue of Nature warned that triclosan’s overuse could cause resistant strains of bacteria to develop, in much the same way that antibiotic-resistantbacterial strains are emerging, based on speculation that triclosan behaved like an antibiotic. Based on this speculation, in 2003, the Sunday Herald newspaper reported that some UK supermarkets and other retailers were considering phasing out products containing triclosan.
There are reports that suggest that triclosan can combine with chlorine in tap water to form chloroform gas, which is classified by the EPA as a human carcinogen.
Triclosan is used in many common household products, including Clearasil Daily Face Wash, Dentyl mouthwash, Dawn, the Colgate Total range, Crest Cavity Protection, Softsoap, Dial, Right Guard deodorant, Sensodyne Total Care, Old Spice, Mentadent, and Bath and Body works hand sanitizers.
Consider these findings before you reach for the antibacterial soap.
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