Skip the antibacterial triclosan
Plain soap and water is a great germ-fighting tool. Here's why you don't need (or want) antibacterial soap and other products made with triclosan.
Triclosan, a chemical used to stop the growth of bacteria, is in about 75% of liquid soap and 30% of bar soaps. You can also find it in toothpaste, cosmetics, face wash, deodorant, sponges, kitchenware and more.
Unfortunately, triclosan is also found to be toxic to aquatic life and, in lab tests, it is shown to interfere with hormone regulation.Health experts and environmentalists agree on the best ways to ward off flu bugs: skip the antibacterial soap. Wash with soap & water, skip the antibacterial soap and disinfect safely. See more at flu.gov
How can you tell if a product contains triclosan? Read the label. Both the FDA and EPA require products to list triclosan on the label.
Soap & water works! Hand washing is key to germ control.
An education program encouraging second graders to wash hands led to a 34% decrease in the absenteeism rate. See more in an article from the Journal of School Nursing.
Little kids put their hands to their mouths seven to 28 times an hour, according to one study.
See more from a biomed experts study: "A meta-analysis of children's hand-to-mouth frequency data for estimating nondietary ingestion exposure."
Products with triclosan do not work better than plain soap in homes.
From a study in Annals of Internal Medicine: "Antibacterial household cleaning products do not seem to reduce the number of infections among household residents." See more here and on WebMD.
Triclosan in antibacterial soap may make antibiotics less effective in the long run.
From a study in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases: "More extensive and longer term use of triclosan might provide a suitable environment for emergence of resistant species. Further research on this issue is needed (See more)."
