Plain soap and water offer the same level of protection that antibacterial soaps do, according to an advisory panel to the FDA. They have found no added benefits to anti-bacterial soaps when compared to regular soap for handwashing.
Moreover, the anti-bacterial chemicals can contibute to the growth of bacteria which are resistant to antibiotics. The panel requested that the FDA evaluate the risks of these products versus the benefit (which they pretty much said was nil.)
This isn't really new news; this has been an assesment of these products for years. I've sought out non-antibacterial liquid soaps for some time, and it's getting harder and harder to find any. The anti-bacterial properties are touted so heavily in advertising that people are convinced they need them; but, we don't. It's nice to have a national body advising the FDA to reassess the use of these products in the home.
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We've been using the Ivory liquid soap just fine, but it is getting harder to find. When I do get it, I buy a bulk of it, because the stores don't always have it.
I started carrying around Purell hand sanitizer at work because touching other people's PCs all day means I'm getting their crap on my hands all day.
--*Rob
There's only one soap that can clean these hands, Mister.
Lava!
Palmolive and Yardley still have plain bar soap.The dollar stores are your best bet for plain liquid soap. Failing that, I'd go with liquid dish detergetn although I am seeing anti-bacterial labels there, too.
They are worrying so much about soaps, yet try to give the FDA the right to regualte cigarettes and everyone freaks!!!
I'm glad this is finally coming out, but it seems kind of a "No Duh" issue to me. I hope it means the non-AB soap will be easier to find. FWIW, I use SoftSoap's moisturizing aloe vera liquid soap. It doesn't turn my hands into lizard skin in the winter like regular soap.
I hate the way that anti-bacterial stuff smells. My boss has it at her house, and my hands reek of it for the rest of the day.
The worst part, though, is the way it just makes bacteria stronger, so when people use it, they're potentially hurting all of us.
Then again, most Americans don't believe in natural selection, anyway. (If only natural selection would select against people who didn't believe in it.)
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