FDA Rules Antibacterial Soap Might Actually Be Harmful

Health enthusiasts all over the nation are celebrating a new FDA ban on harmful chemicals found in [...]

By PopCulture.com Staff

Health enthusiasts all over the nation are celebrating a new FDA ban on harmful chemicals found in products advertised as safe.

USA Today shares the news of the ruling saying that the FDA announced Friday, 19 ingredients found in antibacterial soaps harmful and must be reformulated or removed from stores within a year.

In a Friday morning news conference, Theresa Michele of the FDA's Division of Non-prescription Drug Products, said wipes and hand-sanitizers that are made to be used without water and containing more than 50% alcohol are not included in the ban. Also exempt are cleaners found in hospitals and nursing homes.

"Using cleaners with the 19 specified ingredients could increase bacterial resistance, making it harder to fight disease, and may affect hormones," Michele said.

"Manufacturers did not demonstrate that they are both safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections."

She emphasized that hand washing with plain soap and water is the most effective way to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.

Triclosan and Triclocarban are the two most popular culprits among the list of ingredients, and their merits have been debated within the FDA since 2005. The Environmental Protection Agency are reviewing these antibacterial agents as officials have been worried about the negative side effects in people who use them regularly.

The American Cleaning Institute is maintaining their stance on the benefits of using antibacterial products with this statement, "Antibacterial soaps are critical to public health because of the importance hand hygiene plays in the prevention of infection," according to the statement. "Washing the hands with an antiseptic soap can help reduce the risk of infection beyond that provided by washing with non-antibacterial soap and water."

Environmentalists however are celebrating the ban,"This is a terrific announcement and it's a long time coming," said Jane Houlihan, research director of Healthy Babies Bright Futures. "There's no reason to put potentially harmful chemicals in products people use every single day on their hands, faces and bodies."

Nneka Leiba, who is the director of science for the Environmental Working Group, is excited about the ban and says it's "a huge step," and adds that there are "so many more ingredients that are similarly hazardous. I hope it would not take this many more years to clean up our stores or personal care product aisles."

"We shouldn't have to wait until the industry has moved away from it, albeit slowly," she said. "Some people are using 12-15 of these products each day.

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