By MARIA DINZEO
NEW YORK (CN) – An environmental group says the widespread use of over-the-counter “antibacterial” soaps exposes users to dangerous chemicals, but the Food and Drug Administration continues to misbrand them as safe. The National Resources Defense Council claims in federal court that the FDA reported the chemicals triclosan or triclocarbon were found in 76 percent of 395 liquid soaps, but has still failed to ban such soaps or brand them as as hazardous.
The chemicals, present in everything from hand soaps and surgical scrubs to antiseptics and skin wound cleansers, have been known to lower sperm count, disrupt testosterone production and damage both reproductive organs and thyroid hormone levels, a decrease in which can lead to a low IQ, learning disorders and memory problems. Both can be absorbed through the human skin.
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Meta
Another reason they are bad is because they are big time overkill. Regular, conventional, old-fashioned soap doesn’t effectively kill germs, so why should we prefer it to antibacterial soap? Because it carries the germs down the drain & away far away from you, but antibacterial soap doesn’t kill every single germ it touches, just 99.99% of them. Which still leaves hundreds or even thousands of others.
A few kinds of germs are so tough that it’s hard for the special soap, or any soap to kill them, however they were kept in check by the millions of other germs out there, most of which are really harmless to humans, but the existence of their population was able to keep their tough germ cousins from taking over the microscopic world. That is until antibacterial soap came along, to the delight of the most harmful pathogens out there.
Think of it kind of like Iraq & Iran. Neither of them were really friendly to the US; infact they both hated us. But they also didn’t like each other and kept each other in check. Now that our unconstitutional war has removed Iraq, Iran has become the unquestioned regional power over there, and is now much more dangerous to us than either of them ever would have been if we had just minded our own business.
Other germs that only touch the fringes of the soap – and thus only get nominally exposed to it – don’t die, and then the microorganisms learn how to make themselves resistant to these chemical laden soaps. Therefore we have made them into superbugs.
Take my advice, always wash your hands with normal soap & water:
1. After going to the bathroom.
2. Before preparing food & after handling meat.
3. Before eating.
4. Whenever you think you have touched something that might be contaminated with a harmful pathogen.
Also, germs have been on earth longer than mortal man has. They are meant to be here and they fulfill a need. Truth is, 99%, or more, of all germs are either not harmful to people, or are even helpful to us! That’s right, probably as many of them are friendly to us as are harmful to us.
I think the only appropriate motive to actually kill germs is when a sterile field is needed to perform a procedure on a patient where skin or membrane might be disturbed, or if the person is immuno-compromised.
Thanks Jon!