Antibacterial Soap Danger Still a Hot Topic
It seems like every week we see another major news article on the dangers of antimicrobial soap use in the home. Just yesterday our local newspaper had a two page article that has been syndicated by the Washington Post. I have written about antibacterial soap use before, and this is just an update addressing a few questions I received in email a while back. Most of the information I have gathered on this is readily available on line. If you only have the time to follow one link to information on this subject, I would recommend the Beyond Pesticides fact sheet, available as a PDF file .
The first question was how regular soap works and why should we believe it does as good a job as antibacterial soap? Without getting too technical, soap is simply made up of a base and an acid and has two main purposes. Soap decreases the surface tension of water and adheres to dirt, oil, bacteria, viruses and the like. When you lather the soap, this all combines together and is easily washed down the drain. Antibacterial soap does not do this job any better than regular soap.
The second question was are germ killing products antibacterial and do they pose the same danger as antibacterial products? The simple answer to this is that germ killing products, (those with bleach or other disinfectants), do not contain antibiotics. They are different than antibiotics in that there is no evidence that I can find that they contribute to “super bug” problems like MRSA. Still, I am concerned enough about our exposure to harsh chemicals that I try to avoid the use of these products also.
The last question was why do so many people keep using antimicrobial soap even with all the publicity stating that we should not? I think there are several reasons for this, but first and foremost is effective marketing by the makers of “antibacterial” soap. People are understandably concerned about the health and safety of themselves and their families and easily believe the hype that products containing antibiotics are better. In reality, the opposite may be the case. The antibiotic used in all these products has been claimed by the EPA to be contaminated by dioxins. The dioxins are formed during the antibiotic manufacturing process so can not be avoided in the final product. Additionally when triclosan, the antibiotic used in these products, combines with chlorinated tap water, a super dioxin is formed.
Another reason is availability. A recent study concluded that approximately 75% of the liquid soaps on the market are antibacterial. Until recently some large retailers only carried this type of liquid soap. In a previous post, I showed the text of a letter to Costco asking them to discontinue selling antibacterial soap. I believe they must have had others write them also because Costco is now offering liquid soap that is antibiotic free.
There has been an explosion of triclosan antibiotic use in all kinds of products. Take a look at this list to see some of its uses. Another problem caused by the explosion of antibacterial products is environmental. The antibiotic used, triclosan, causes all kinds of problems when washed down the drain. Even when this drain water is treated at whitewater treatment plants, triclosan is not removed. It is highly toxic to algae and is thought to have detrimental endocrine effects on fish .
It is obvious to me from my reading that using antibiotic soap does not make you any safer from dangerous germs. In fact the opposite is likely true. The products themselves possibly pose health dangers to you and the environment. Plus, as more and more germs breed resistance to antibiotics, the risk from untreatable infections rises. I urge everyone again… Please do not use antibacterial soap.
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