Antibacterial soap

.... Antibacterial soap is any cleaning product to which antibacterial active ingredients have been added. These chemicals kill bacteria. They do not kill viruses.

In an informal survey of liquid hand and body soaps at the supermarket, most contained antibacterial chemicals. Triclosanis a common ingredient, as is alcohol. Since there are a great many different kinds of bacteria, effectiveness against any given type of bacteria does not ensure that it is effective against unrelated types of bacteria.

Overuse of chemicals like triclosan have been suggested to cause sensitive bacteria to evolveresistanceto its antibacterial action. Should any antibioticbe discovered that works similarly to triclosan, this antibiotic's effectiveness to combat infections will be reduced because people will be hosting resistant bacteria already due to their use of soaps containing triclosan.

Studies have examined the purported benefits of antibacterial soap. Some studies have concluded that simply washing thoroughly with plain soapis sufficient to reduce bacteria and, further, is effective against viruses. Other studies have found that soaps containing antimicrobial active ingredients remove more bacteria than simply washing with plain soap and water (J.C. Lucet (2002), Hand Contamination Before and After Different Hand Hygiene Techniques: a Randomized Clinical Trial, Journal of Hospital Infection; L.L. Gibson (2002), Quantitative Assessment of Risk Reduction From Hand Washing with Antibacterial Soap, Journal of Applied Microbiology).

At one conference, Dr. Stuart Levy, a microbiologist at Tufts University, cites these studies to conclude:

Dousing everything we touch with antibacterial soaps and taking antibiotic medications at the first sign of a cold can upset the natural balance of microorganisms in and around us, leaving behind only the 'superbugs'.¹

However, Dr. Levy's most recent research (Aeillo, et al. (2005) Antibacterial cleaning products and bacterial resitance; Emerging Infectious Diseases) concludes that "The results from our study do no implicate the use of antibacterial cleaning and hygiene products as an influential factor in carriage of antimicrobial drug-resistant bacteria on the hands of household members." The paper's authors call for continued research in this area.

Some soaps contain tetrasodium EDTAwhich is a chelatingagent that sequesters metals that the bacteria require in order to grow. Other microbesalso require metals and so it is actually an anti-microbial agent that is widely used even as a preservative. It appears to be fairly harmless in the environment.

There are other chemicals used in cleaning agents to kill germsbut their purpose seems more directed at marketing an untested feature than in promoting hygiene.

External links

• ¹Benefits of exposure to bacteria and danger of antibacterial cleanersfrom CBC

Study Disproves Antibacterial Soap Scare

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It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibacterial+soap Wikipedia article Antibacterial soap.