Anti bacterial soap - how dumb an idea is that?

[i-need-a-martini]

It always used to/does amaze me that people are so obsessed with germs that they can get sucked into the marketing hype of things like this.

And now scientists are saying that the 'active' ingredient triclosan can cause natural antibiotic restance meaning that you are more inclined to get sick.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/antibacterial-soaps-arent-more-effective-and-may-be-dangerous-...

[cherry*135]

“Antibacterial soaps and body washes are used widely and frequently by consumers in everyday ... settings, where the risk of infection is relatively low.

I agree with that, the risk of infection is low in most households.

[icyfroth]

We use it at work. I don't really see the point, but it makes people think they're hygienic. Then they go and use their their grotty old keyboards and phones while eating chips, what a laugh.

But it costs no more than the other soap, so why not, if it makes you feel you've killed a few more bacteria than you would with just ordinary soap.

[lurker17260]

I had an old friend who always said "you have to eat a pound of dirt before you die".

[cherry*135]

Why not use anti-bacterial soap/liquid soap? For the reasons in the news story in the opening post and the reason martini pointed out.

..now scientists are saying that the 'active' ingredient triclosan can cause natural antibiotic restance meaning that you are more inclined to get sick.

[icyfroth]

hello am 🙂

[i-once-was-bump]

---

@lurker17260 wrote:
I had an old friend who always said "you have to eat a pound of dirt before you die".

---

Is that one for the bucket list?

[darksideofthemoon]

No exposure to bugs = no immunity!

[***super_nova***]

And anyway it is actually the rubbing that destroys most of the bacteria.  If you are really worried about diseases, use some lemon juice; it is good for your hands and most germs cannot multiply in acidic environment.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

---

@icyfroth wrote:

We use it at work. I don't really see the point, but it makes people think they're hygienic. Then they go and use their their grotty old keyboards and phones while eating chips, what a laugh.

But it costs no more than the other soap, so why not, if it makes you feel you've killed a few more bacteria than you would with just ordinary soap.

---

---

Because when you wash it off your hands and it goes straight down the drain it is almost non

biodegradable.....Think about the froggys....dagloonk...and the breast fed babies... and the  Algae and the Fishies and

all the animals that eat Fishies including us lot.

http://rachel.org/lib/triclosan.020601.pdf

Swedish tudy below conducted in 2002

High levels of the commonly used, effective bactericide Triclosan was found in three out of five randomly selected

human milk samples.

It was also found in the bile of fish exposed to municipal wastewater and in wild living fish from

the receiving waters of the three wastewater treatment plants.

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/antibacterial/environmental/

Over 95% of the uses of Triclosan are in consumer products that are disposed of in residential drains.

As a result, widespread use of Triclosan and other antibacterial compounds result in contamination of the nation’s

waterways, with Triclosan being the most prevalent contaminant not removed by typical wastewater treatment plants.

In fact, Triclosan has been detected in wastewater, activated sludge, surface water, and sediments.

These findings indicate that substantial amounts of triclosan are released into the environment, which can

create unwanted effects.

Due to its specific action, it can foster resistant bacteria and it may also be connected with the increase of allergies

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/antibacterial/environmental/

According to a U.S. Geological Survey study of 95 different organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, Triclosan was one of the most frequently detected compounds and at some of the highest concentrations.

In spring 2008, national news reports exposed the prevalence of pharmaceuticals in the nation’s watersheds, including high concentration of antibacterial compounds.

The prevalence of Triclosan in the nation’s waterways is a cause for concern since Triclosan is converted into dioxin- a highly toxic compound, when exposed the sunlight in an aqueous environment.

Triclosan can also combine with chlorine in tap water to form chloroform, which is listed as a probable human carcinogen.

Triclosan has been found to be highly toxic to different types of algae, keystone organisms for complex aquatic ecosystems, and as been detected at high concentration in earthworms.

Triclosan is lipophilic and as a result is readily available for absorption and bioaccumulation in fatty tissues, especially by aquatic organisms. Studies have found that fish accumulated significant concentrations of Triclosan metabolites

gotta love BAYER Big Pharma always keep everybodies their interests  to the fore