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.
Choose from box
Hi Will, my office just bought a bunch of purell with the cute dispensers, some staff members use this stuff 5, 6 times a day the office smells like a hospital, is this stuff no good as well?
Comment by Bob — November 29, 2007 @ 6:00 pm
Hi Bob! I actually received two emails last night with similar questions, so I had drafted another article to post today. After seeing your question, I edited that draft as these liquid hand sanitizers are quickly becoming the most commonly used of these products. Thanks!
In brief, the sanitizer pumps do not pose the same risk of bacteria mutations as the antibacterial soap does. Still, I don’t use them unless I see a very pressing reason in a place where I can not just wash my hands.
-Will
Just as a note of appreciation to the folks who have used the buttons to digg and stumble some of my articles… Thanks! It really does seem to bring in some new readers. I would recommend trying to install the widgets yourselves if you have a web site.
Comment by Will — November 30, 2007 @ 1:43 pm
Thank you Will for the information. Being influenced by my Environmentalist Boss, it is my concerned to be aware of the things that might harm our environment. We must be aware of those hazardous chemicals and avoid using them for environmental protection purposes in order to preserve things we have right now for the welfare of our children.
Comment by paulette — December 17, 2007 @ 8:26 am
Will,
I live in a household were everyone uses antibacterial dish soap to shower and shampoo with? This boggles my mind.
No one that lives here seems to think anything is wrong with it
how the heck do I wake these people up? They all think I am taking crazy pills.
Melissa
Comment by Melissa — December 23, 2007 @ 12:36 am
Hi Melissa! Send them here to read my 3 posts on the topic. Maybe that will help?
The main thing is to try and get them to understand is that there is no downside to discontinuing use of it. The product does not have any benefits to normal, healthy people who use it, so why not get the chemical out or your system and stop contributing to all these resistant bugs we keep hearing about.
Keep fighting the good fight!
-Will
Comment by Will — December 23, 2007 @ 1:31 pm
While I understand that your soap posts are “dated” the information related to use of soap vs antibacterial liquids is current and critical. As Founding Director of The SOPE Project (http://www.sope.net) I salute you! btw did you know that sope is the Elizabethan English way to spell what we call soap? A nice way to demonstrate that the “American way” isn’t necessarily the right way, nor the only way.
Comment by Wendy Wakefield Ferrin — May 9, 2008 @ 10:41 am
Hi Wendy - Cool site you have linked there! Interesting to think that posts 6 months old are dated. The world of blogs, I guess. Still the information is important. I think the message is getting out about triclosan and that is a good thing. Thanks for your comment!
Comment by Will — May 9, 2008 @ 10:50 am