Kicking the Habit: Anti-Bacterial Soap
Over the months I've been slowly eliminating all sorts of unnatural and synthetic chemicals from my diet and my life. Processed foods and and unsustainable clothing have been thrown by the wayside. So why am I still smearing pesticides all over my body?
Mother Earth News has a fantastic article on Why You Don't Need Antibacterial Soap. While a simple google search will turn up dozens of articles and debates about this across the web (people seem to feel pretty strongly about their antibacterial soap!), for anyone who is serious about eliminating chemicals from their lives and our world, antibacterial soap has got to go.
Featuring a host of nasty chemicals, chief among them triclosan and triclocarban, antibacterial soaps are quickly polluting our water (up to 60% of US streams are contaminated with triclocarban, says Mother Earth News) and our food supply (as the chemicals make it into crops through biosolid fertilizer). Science-A-Go-Go reports on the surprising persistence of triclocarban in our environment. Overall, there is lots of damning evidence coming to the same conclusion: antibacterial soap must go.
There are dozens of options out there for the conscientious soap consumer. A quick search for organic soap turns up dozens of soap companies who are making all-natural, chemical free soaps that won't pollute our earth. After my partner Sam pressured me for months on the issue, I gave in; we've even found homemade natural soap at our local farmer's market!
Pertinent links:
wikipedia on antibacterial soap, wikipedia on triclosan, Worldwatch Institute on soap
Tags: anti-bacterial, Health and Health Products, Personal Care, soap, toxic
March 13th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
There are probably some places where antibacterial soap does make sense (a hospital operating room is one that comes to mind). But I completely agree that they are unnecessary for ordinary, daily home use.
More importantly, not all bacteria are pathogenic, but antibacterial soaps don’t make a distinction.
March 13th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
So many teachers I work with have the huge Sam’s Club pump bottles of that antibacterial gel. Ironically, those are the teachers who are sick the most. Gross.
March 14th, 2007 at 4:18 am
Thanks for the great post on Triclosan and the solid references. Ever since picking up a sample of a natural, non alcoholic hand sanitizer at a recent San Francisco event (made by a company called CleanWell) I’ve been trying to become more educated on the topic.