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Antibacterial Soaps

 
  Antibacterial Soaps are creating super bacteria and use stronger chemicals.  True, some bacteria are harmful and can cause disease.  But some are helpful and healthful and we are killing those off too.  The trouble is that killing those off can lead to disease (and death) as well.  Bacteria are part of us (on our skin, in our stomach, aid in digestion, aid in creating nutrients necessary for our body to function properly, aid in expelling food from our body, aid in produce being grown in the ground so have a chemical-free lawn, aid in biodegrading in our environment) and are a necessary part of our life.  Friendly bacteria boost our immune system to help keep us healthy too.  Especially important for children (particularly their first year of life), children exposed to bacteria are less prone to autoimmune disorders including allergies and asthma later in life.

In today's world we are clean and have access to running clear water.  These soaps are not killing off all the bacteria that is bad.  The surviving bacteria are mutating to become super-germs.  Chemical antibacterial soaps are simply not necessary and are potentially harmful to our health and our environment.  Anti-bacterial soaps are creating new strains of resistant bacteria and disrupting the natural flora of our ecosystems.

Antibacterial soaps create super resistant bacteria that will do more harm than good since they will in turn need even stronger antimicrobials to kill them.  Some of these bacteria are even resistant to antibiotics!  The amazing thing is that no study has confirmed that antibacterial soaps have any effect on preventing disease! 

Many antibacterial soaps on the market today contain harmful strong chemicals.  Be aware that antibacterials are now in handsoaps, laundry soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, body wash, dishwashing liquids and other cleaning products.  Avoid products with:

  • anilides (e.g. triclocarban)
  • bis-phenols (e.g. triclosan)
  • quaternary ammonium compounds (e.g. cetylpyridium chloride)
  • bigualides (e.g. chlorhexidine)
  • benzalkonium chloride

Bisphenols are endocrine or hormone disrupters that can affect fertility and our reproductivity (and puberty) in our  children.  Triclosan, most used in antibacterial soaps, inhibits the growth of bacteria and kills good bacteria and human cells too!

Aside from causing skin irritations and dry skin, they can also cause colds, sore throats, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and coughs.  Moreover, these chemicals have NO effect on preventing disease more effectively than regular soap and water!  Antibacterials are killing off helpful good bacteria, and are potentially creating super antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can harm us.

Benzalkonium Chloride is a synthetic disinfectant (bacteriacide and fungicide) and detergent. It is toxic for the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, liver and kidney systems. 

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has urged us to stop using chemical antibacterial cleaning products.

Washing with clear running water and soap, scrubbing and rinsing for a count of 10, will kill off the bad bacteria and keep us healthy and our immune systems strong. 

Use a natural anti-bacterial soap:

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