I came across this article, and I thought it was neat. I used to always use sand sanitizer, as a method to keep my hands clean in-between washings. Then, I learned that I could be adding to antibacterial resistance organisms to my normal flora. Now, I use the brand "Soft Soap", because it has no killing agents added in the mix. I have noticed hand sanitizers everywhere, as people are trying to not catch the flu and other diseases, so I thought this would be a good link to post.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-antibacterial-products-may-do-more-harm-than-good&page=2
Nancy
This is such a relevant article for me.. I am a big hand sanitizer user. I have a 2 year old that goes to Mother's Day Out and I basically give him a bath in antibacterial sanitizer when I pick him up because I'm afraid of what he could have picked up at school. But I'm going to quit that!
ReplyDeleteThe other thing that's really striking is the fact that it's been found in breastmilk and human blood plasma.. but "there is no evidence showing that current concentrations of triclosan in the human body are harmful." BS! How do we know that it doesn't build up in the body or works as an EDC for humans? I love the quick little blurb that it's an EDC in bullfrogs AND rats, but it's totally not harmful to us (sarcasm).
The more research I do, the more I think that nothing at the grocery store is safe for us.. There should be more awareness to tell people that antibacterial soap isn't necessary, especially since the FDA determined it does nothing over regular soap products. Antibacterial products are something that could probably be found in a majority of households, yet people have no idea that not only does it not do anything more than regular soap but it can also lead to resistant bacteria.
I know right!! It really is an eye-opener. Your post made me laugh!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a very interesting article as well. I started using hand sanitizer alot during college because I was always eating during class or between classes and didn't always have time to run to the restroom to wash my hands. A couple of years ago I became curious about the effectiveness of hand sanitizers, regular soap, and antibacterial soap. I had to do a research project in my Honors Microbiology class, so I decided to test the effectiveness of these three products against common bacteria that we encounter. I tested both gram positive bacteria such as S. aureus and gram negative bacteria such as E.coli. The results showed that there was no difference in the effectiveness between gram positive and gram negative. However, the antibacterial soap was three times more effective than the regular soap and hand sanitizer. I just thought I would add this because the above article said that antibacterial soap does not do anything more than regular soap, yet the results from my research showed otherwise.
ReplyDeleteAre there any hand sanitizers that don't have antibacterial agents? I've heard of this issue many times, yet when I am in a hurry to eat something before class--like Lena--I just use my hand sanitizer. It gives me a little bit of sanity. However, this habit of mine has serious effects, because of the bacterial resistance that it causes.
ReplyDeleteBut I remember that experiment, Lena. I work with some little kiddos at my church on Sunday nights. When they would go to the bathroom, they would come out asking for "magic soap" instead of washing their hands. Crazy thing is, if I recall correctly from your Micro experiment, hand sanitizer was not that effective against bacteria, because there were still many colonies on those plates. And these kids have just been touching all sorts of things in the bathroom--especially the little boys. So, from now on, I will just insist them to have their hands washed, instead.
Another thought: perhaps it would be better if we weren't such germaphobes. Cleanliness to the extreme has been highly accepted in our culture as we can see. Perhaps it is better to put our immune system to the workout. Of course, we do need have a good balance and discernment when to wash our hands and when to let it go, because we shouldn't start eating off the same plate as someone who has a viral infection. But that's just a thought...
Rachel, I'm right there with you. My husband is totally of the train of thought that "dirt don't hurt." But seriously... he's said that to me.. I've slowly started going over to that belief, but it's so hard because I've got a lab/medical background where I wash my hands religiously.
ReplyDeleteSide note, I was reading this month's InStyle and there's a section called "10 Ways to Detox Your Life." Number 8 is "Wash out antibacterial soaps. Nearly all these would-be germ fighters contain triclosan, a known endocrine disrupter that also causes heart problem in lab mice. The FDA says more research is needed to analyze the risk, but don't wait. The last time the government studied this was 35 years ago, says the Natural Resources Defense Council."
It's nice to know that the word is getting out there to slow down on all the antibacterial products. Just because they may be more effective, doesn't mean there aren't side effects from using them.