Tuberculosis, food poisoning, cholera, pneumonia, strep throat and meningitis: these are just a few of the unsavory diseases caused by bacteria. Hygiene—keeping both home and body clean—is one of the best ways to curb the spread of bacterial infections, but lately consumers are getting the message that washing with regular soap is insufficient. Antibacterial products have never been so popular. Body soaps, household cleaners, sponges, even mattresses and lip glosses are now packing bacteria-killing ingredients, and scientists question what place, if any, these chemicals have in the daily routines of healthy people.
3. Anti bacterial products
Antibacterial products (sometimes called antimicrobial or
antiseptic) contain certain chemicals which are added with the
intent of reducing or preventing bacterial infection.
Personal care products include-
Soaps
Hand lotions
Disinfectants
Mouthwashes
Toothpastes
4. The truth behind
“Till date, the benefits of using antibacterial
hand soap haven’t been proven. “
“In addition, the wide use of these products
over a long time has raised the question of
potential negative effects on health.”
-U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA)
5. Antibacterial soaps are no more effective
than conventional soap and water
Soap works by loosening and lifting dirt, oil and microbes
from surfaces so they can be easily rinsed away with water.
Traditionally, people washed bacteria from their bodies and
homes using soap and hot water, alcohol, chlorine bleach or
hydrogen peroxide. These substances act nonspecifically,
meaning they wipe out almost every type of microbe in
sight—fungi, bacteria and some viruses—rather than
singling out a particular variety.
Unlike these traditional cleaners, antibacterial products
leave surface residues, creating conditions that may foster
the development of resistant bacteria.
6. What doesn't kills you makes you
stronger
Antibacterial products have the potential to create
antibiotic-resistant bacteria-threat to global health security.
Antibacterial products leave surface residues, creating
conditions that may foster the development of resistant
bacteria
When a bacterial population is placed under a stressor—
such as an antibacterial chemical—a small subpopulation
armed with special defense mechanisms can develop.
These lineages survive and reproduce as their weaker
relatives perish.
7.
8.
9. Triclosan
Antiseptic wash products (including liquid, foam, gel hand soaps,
bar soaps, and body washes) contain triclosan and triclocarbanin as
an antibacterial active ingredients.
Manufacturers haven’t shown that these ingredients are any more
effective than plain soap and water in preventing illnesses and the
spread of certain infections.
It haven’t proven that those ingredients are safe for daily use over a
long period of time.
It can penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream. A 2008 survey,
for instance, found triclosan in the urine of 75 percent of people
tested.
These ingredients are valuable in hospitals and other healthcare
settings, but their effectiveness could be compromised by
unnecessary domestic use.
10. Side effects of triclosan
Exposure to triclosan disrupts thyroid hormone-associated
gene expression in frogs, even at low levels.
Triclosan decreases circulating concentrations of the thyroid
hormone thyroxine (T4) in rats.
Disrupts muscle function and causes both heart and skeletal
muscles to fail in humans.
(Not all effects have been found in humans, but the FDA
calls the animal studies "a concern"—and notes that, given
the minimal benefits of long-term triclosan use, it's likely
not worth the risk)
-Toxicological Sciences study
11. Others
There's evidence that children with prolonged exposure to
triclosan have a higher chance of developing allergies,
including peanut allergies and hay
fever,diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and malnutrition.
It could lead to problems such as infertility, artificially-
advanced early puberty, obesity and cancer.
Triclosan affected estrogen-mediated responses, and many
chemicals that imitate estrogen are known to increase breast
cancer risk.
12. Triclosan Was First Registered as a
Pesticide
Triclosan was first registered with the EPA in 1969 as a
pesticide.
Today it is used in personal care products, it's also widely
used for industrial uses, for instance it is incorporated in
conveyor belts, fire hoses, dye bath vats, or ice-making
equipment as an antimicrobial pesticide, as well as added to
adhesives, fabrics, vinyl, plastics (toys, toothbrushes),
polyethylene, polyurethane, polypropylene, floor wax
emulsions, textiles (footwear, clothing), caulking
compounds, sealants, rubber, carpeting, and a wide variety
of other products.
13.
14. Bad for the environment
When we use a lot of triclosan in soap, that means a lot of
triclosan gets flushed down the drain. USGS surveys have
frequently detected it in streams and other bodies of water.
It disrupts algae's ability to perform photosynthesis.
Triclosan can enter the environment and may accumulate in
the food chain over time.
Biomagnification may occur.
15. Rules in 2013
After studying the issue, including reviewing available literature and
hosting public meetings, in 2013 the FDA issued a proposed rule
requiring safety and efficacy data from manufacturers, consumers, and
others if they wanted to continue marketing antibacterial products
containing those ingredients.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates
triclosan as a pesticide, has also announced it will undertake a
comprehensive review of triclosan beginning in 2013, and notes they
will "pay close attention to the ongoing endocrine research and will
amend the regulatory decision if the science supports such a change."
The FDA signed a consent decree to settle the suit, and issued a new
proposed rule in 2013, continuing to propose that triclosan not be
available for use in consumer washes unless additional safety and
effectiveness data were provided to the FDA.
16. Rules in 2016
In June 2016, the FDA issued a proposed rule requesting additional
scientific data from manufacturers showing that the active
ingredients in hand sanitizers are generally recognized as safe and
effective to reduce bacteria on skin.
On September 6, 2016 FDA issued a rule banning the use of
triclosan, triclorocarbon and 17 other chemicals in hand and body
washes.
The FDA’s final rule covers only consumer antibacterial soaps and
body washes that are used with water. It does not apply to hand
sanitizers or hand wipes. It also does not apply to antibacterial soaps
that are used in health care settings, such as hospitals and nursing
homes.
18. Experts say
Antibacterial agents “can play an important role in hospitals
and health-care settings, but they do not belong in all
households, our food supply and our bodies at all times,”
says Rolf Halden, director of Arizona State University’s
Biodesign Center for Environmental Security.
“We now know we can measure small amounts of
ingredients in blood and that things you put on your skin
can potentially be absorbed into the body,” Dr. Michele
says. Her advice: “At this point, wash your hands with plain
soap and water, because we don’t have enough data
demonstrating these antibacterial soaps are any better” in
fighting disease.
19. The next step
Following simple hand washing practices is one of the most
effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of
infection and illness at home, at school and elsewhere
Effective hand washing with soap, and warm water is the
cheapest way to get rid of germs.
The water doesn't need to be hot, and you're best off
scrubbing for about 30 seconds to get properly clean.
Can’t advise this enough. It’s simple, and it works.