Antibacterial Soap- Not So Good For You, After All

How many of you already knew that the stuff that makes antibacterial soap antibacterial is a chemical called Triclosan?  Did you know that the FDA has taken a position that if a manufacturer doesn’t show that it’s more effective in reducing infection than regular soap, they shouldn’t put Triclosan into handsoaps in the first place?

By now, you should be wondering what it is about Triclosan that has the FDA worried into thinking it maybe shouldn’t be in your handsoap.

Well, there’s a nice story in SmithsonianMag.com by Joseph Stromberg that gives us five reasons why you really probably don’t want to wash your hands with Triclosan:
1. It’s not effective at reducing bacterial infections
2. It might be contributing to antibiotic resistance.
3. It might be an endocrine disruptor- especially thyroid.
4. It might contribute to childhood allergies and thus immune dysregulation.
5. It is bad for the environment- disrupting algae’s photosynthesis.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-reasons-why-you-should-probably-stop-using-antibacterial-soap-180948078/