personal hygiene FDA Bans Antibacterial Soaps; “No Scientific Evidence” They’re Safe, Effective

[vissha]

FDA Bans Antibacterial Soaps; “No Scientific Evidence” They’re Safe, Effective

 

 

Ban applies to soaps with any of 19 chemicals, including triclosan.

 

In a final ruling announced Friday, the Food and Drug Administration is pulling from the market a wide range of antimicrobial soaps after manufacturers failed to show that the soaps are both safe and more effective than plain soap. The federal flushing applies to any hand soap or antiseptic wash product that has one or more of 19 specific chemicals in them, including the common triclosan (found in antibacterial hand soap) and triclocarbon (found in bar soaps). Manufacturers will have one year to either reformulate their products or pull them from the market entirely.

 

As Ars has reported previously, scientists have found that triclosan and other antimicrobial soaps have little benefit to consumers and may actually pose risks. These include bolstering antibiotic resistant microbes, giving opportunistic pathogens a leg up, and disrupting microbiomes. In its final ruling, issued Friday, the FDA seemed to agree. “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), said in a statement. “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.”

 

Back in 2013, the FDA first proposed the ban and called on soap manufacturers to submit data that would show that their products were both harmless and could out compete plain soap in de-germing humans. The agency reports that manufacturers either didn’t bother submitting data or offered up data that wasn’t convincing. In the meantime, many manufacturers have already started phasing out triclosan and other antimicrobial compounds from their products.

 

In light of the product shifts, the FDA recommends that consumers go on washing their hands with just plain old soap and water, which it notes is “one of the most important steps consumers can take to avoid getting sick and to prevent spreading germs to others.”

 

The ruling does not affect alcohol-based hand sanitizers or wipes, which the agency is reviewing separately. It also does not affect antiseptic products used in healthcare settings.

 

Source

[pc71520]

Makes me wonder: What's next? 

[lurch234]

About time someone got their act together. I grew up with ordinary soap. Those "Antibacterial Soaps" are just a marketing ploy to generate more sales.

 

Another snake oil product are hand sanitizing dispensers. Sure they'll probably clear off some germs on application. But what then? The second you touch a door knob, or an elevator button

or escalator handrail you'll just get some nice germs back on.

 

Some researcher in the UK made a pretty novel comment about our over sanitized society. Comparing the immune system to a child, if you don't keep a child's attention occupied he's most likely to become rambunctious or unruly. Same with the immune system. If it doesn't get a workout it can potentially overreact which could be a factor in why we have so many allergy problems from airborne particles like pollen.

[Ballistic Gelatin]

NBD. I wash my hands with kerosene anyway.

[lurch234]

38 minutes ago, Ballistic Gelatin said:

NBD. I wash my hands with kerosene anyway.

 

[luisam]

So FDA recommends they should give us back the good old plain AND CHEAP natural soap! Forget it! Manufacturers will remove those "no good for nothing" additives banned by the FDA and still will continue selling all those "sophisticated" expensive soaps. Natural soap simply is NOT AVAILABLE commercially. At least, I haven't seen any natural soap anywhere. Or am I wrong?

[pc71520]

I won't stop using the Protex soap.

[lurch234]

19 hours ago, luisam said:

At least, I haven't seen any natural soap anywhere. Or am I wrong?

 

I did some searching and natural or just plain soap can actually be found very easily. Dove soap and probably many other brands are still made the old fashioned way with lye and some sort of fat.

Tallow being the most readily available for our forefathers way back then. Here's a quick and interesting read for you:

http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/idascorner/soap/is-there-lye-in-your-soap-wont-it-harm-my-skin