fda to hear concerns on anti germ soaps

**Sara Noel** · 10-19-2005, 01:20 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051018/...BhBHNlYwM5NjQ-

**UPSyours2** · 10-19-2005, 06:57 AM

I heard about something they said normal dishwashing soap is all you need to kill germs & to forget about the antibacterial soaps.
Because they kill the good & bad bacteria in our system we need to fight off infections. They also put the anti-bacterial stuff in most of them too!

This controversial theory, called the "Hygiene Hypothesis," suggests that growing up in a too-clean environment may cause a person to develop asthma and serious allergies later in life.

Well if this is true between this & my Dad smoking in the car while driving me places (I was Daddy's Lil Girl )

always going for the ride & helping out! Ma doesn't drive....funny thing neither did her sisters or brother!

My Dad wasn't allowed to smoke indoors except down in the basement or outside.

I've got really bad allergies & asthma. Never knew I had asthma until runing track in gym class outdoors in the cold weather

People think I'm sick all the time when my nose is stuffy or I sound nasaly. Well if that's true this past summer I wasn't well many days then. It's just annoying allergies that nothing really helps!

The only thing is drinking regular milk builds mucus so I rarely drink it. Allergy tests never said I was allergic to it. But I drink goats milk, soy milk (w/o carrageenan in it)

This is a good website I've been to before.

The Soap and Detergent Association: http://www.cleaning101.com/

Antibacterial Products and Antibiotic Resistance

Various news reports often describe supposed threats that the use of antibacterial products can lead to the creation of antibiotic resistant â€œsuperbugsâ€ in real life settings. The evidence, however, shows otherwise.

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October 2005

Research published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) journal Emerging Infectious Diseases (October 2005) finds that the use of antibacterial cleaning products does not lead to a "significant increase in antimicrobial drug resistance after one year, nor did it have an effect on bacterial susceptibility to triclosan." You can find the research paper online at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol11no10/04-1276.htm.

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http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol11no10/04-1276.htm

Conclusion
Currently, no evidence suggests that use of antibacterial soap containing 0.2% triclosan provides a benefit over plain soap in reducing bacterial counts and rate of infectious symptoms in generally healthy persons in the household setting (4,5,15).

Our 1-year randomized community intervention study adds to these earlier findings by assessing the potential risks associated with antibacterial product use in the home. The results from our study do not implicate use of antibacterial cleaning and hygiene products as an influential factor in carriage of antimicrobial drugâ€“resistant bacteria on the hands of household members. Although we did not observe a significant impact on antimicrobial drug resistance during the 1-year period, a longer duration and more extensive use of triclosan might provide a suitable environment for emergence of antimicrobial drugâ€“resistant species in the community setting. Further surveillance for the effect of long-term use of antibacterial cleaning and hygiene products on antimicrobial drug resistance in the community is needed.

**Kimberlina** · 10-19-2005, 11:45 AM

I think I read somewhere that triclosan is carcinogenic, too. (Maybe someone here posted that it was banned in toothpastes in Britain?) Triclosan is the active ingredient in anti-bac soaps. I have avoided the stuff in my home for years because of the resistance factor, but the triclosan is scary, too. I just started using toothpaste that doesn't have it. I think they should consider this, too. The only place I will use anti-bac soap is work, and that is because I have to at the hospital.

**canadian gardener** · 10-19-2005, 01:29 PM

The hygiene hypothesis with asthma is a washout. the germ that provides a limited protection against asthma is actually

HEPATITIS!!!!

which isn't anyones idea of a good new way to keep asthma away!

Nobody really wants to expose children to hepatitis in their environment. (which turned out to be the thing that caused the reduction in asthma)

however the news media loves the story, and keeps repeating it so mothers everywhere can feel good about a bit of dirt.

Which probably won't harm anyone anyways unless the mother in question is using it to justify the kind of lack of cleanliness that leads to food poisoning, and minor ailments such as tummy complaints like Norwalk, or the various strep and e coli infections. (or exposure to mold, cockroaches and dustmites all of which DO have a VERY MUCH STRONGER CONNECTION TO ASTHMA)

that said

I totally agree with getting rid of public use of triclosan. It is one of the last antibacterial defenses against the super bugs, the antibiotic resistant forms of strep such as MRSA (methicillin resistant strep aureus) which dd was studying on her research project last year working on her degree.

manufacturers of everything from liquid soap, to dish cloths are including triclosan, which simply means we are breeding new germs resistant to triclosan all over everywhere.

If people used bleach in a dilute state, (see the clorox site for directions) we wouldn't be breeding super bugs.

But people who are concerned about cleanliness and germ control (which we should be, since that is the major health advance that has saved more lives than anything else in the last 3 centuries)

are buying into the marketing without realizing there are better cheaper alternatives for home use.

**canadian gardener** · 10-19-2005, 01:33 PM

oh and childhood exposure to things such as secondhand smoke, droppings and leavings of cockroaches, and dust mite particles along with mold

are known and proven causes for asthma, whereas the super clean environment was only a weak connection, and when the medical community found out (and some still haven't read their updates!) that it involved hepatitis exposure, that theory was DROPPED!

I think that the over cleaning theory will still be kept alive in the hearts of people everywhere who are feeling too overwhelmed to deal with smoking, pest control, dustmite control and mold control all of which barring the tobacco habit, involve a lot of cleaning and hard work.

**FreesiaE** · 10-19-2005, 01:39 PM

Now I'm worrying, and counting how much more antibacterial soap/toothpaste I have. If it gets pulled I'll get a lot more to stock up on. I hate the thought of cleaning chicken juice from hands with plain soap and since using Colgate Total 0 cavities as compared to 4 the time before I started using

**canadian gardener** · 10-19-2005, 03:53 PM

got a suggestion, that rubbing alcohol gel. It works great for sanitizing the hands, even better than soap and water (although a bit drying)

I have a pump bottle of it at my kitchen sink for just that purpose.

You are so right, chicken juice being what it is.

But you might find that the alcohol gel works better than the triclosan as it's got a quicker kill for things that chickens come with.

As for the toothpaste, did they put it in there now too????

oh my, I need to get out more! LOL I just am not keeping up.

cavities, well the tried and true flourides do lower cavity rates without creating new super bugs in the mouth and upsetting the normal bacteria.

However if it's something you like, and you think it's been working for you better, then stocking up is a good option.

**FreesiaE** · 10-19-2005, 04:01 PM

Originally posted by canadian gardener

As for the toothpaste, did they put it in there now too????

The only one I know for sure is Colgate Total; it contains 0.3% triclosan; exact same amount as my B&BY hand soap. They advertise "works for 12 hours, even when you eat" .

**canadian gardener** · 10-19-2005, 04:04 PM

oh MY!!!

Well I'm flabbergasted! I never knew they'd be putting it in people's mouths. My goodness!

LOL thanks. takes a bit to get me to the flabbergasted stage!

heheheheheh my oh my!

**forestdale** · 10-19-2005, 04:15 PM

I think this is very scary stuff. In all my years of homekeeping, I've never had one case of food poisoning in my family. I use to use supermarket sprays but always steered clear of the anti-bacterial ones. Now I use vinegar and bicarb soda, sometimes lemon juice. My kitchen is always clean and fresh and if anyone cared to swab my kitchen for bugs, I'm sure they'd find all the "normal" household bugs but none of the nasties.

**momof42003** · 10-19-2005, 05:42 PM

I did not realize that that was in my toothpaste... Normally I do not buy Colgate TOTAL, and won't again... I do not usually use hand sanitizer, but I do have some on hand just in case. I have germ-X original and it does NOT have triclosan in it.. I checked the active ingredient and it is ethyl alcohol... Others are water, and isopropryl alcohol and a few others.. But NO triclosan.....