Is Antibacterial Soap Worth the Risk?

For decades, hospitals provided their staff with antibacterial and antimicrobial products to help reduce the spread of bacteria in an environment that is teaming with disease.  At some point, a marketing genius decided to take the idea and sell it to the masses resulting in commercial after commercial showing us terrible illustrations of these little creepy-crawlies coming to get us and our family and that the only way to stop these monsters is to use antibacterial soap.  But is that true?

Not too long after the widespread use of these products began, so did the questions.  What about the bacteria they leave behind?  Are antibacterial soaps helping to create superbugs?  Are they making us more prone to allergens and bacteria by preventing the normal, healthy exposure to bacteria that kids used to encounter as a part of life?  Are the ingredients used to kill bacteria safe for us?  Are they even effective?  Unfortunately, even with these many questions about the overall benefit of antibacterial soaps, they are still popular.

In a study conducted last year at University of California, Davis, researchers showed, through three studies, that the chemicals Triclosan and Triclocarban, both commonly used in antibacterial soaps, have the potential to interfere with the nervous system and affect sex hormones.  Though there is debate on how much of the chemicals and in what form a person would need to be exposed to, the concern is still there.

Triclosan, which is in over 70% of the antibacterial products on the market, as well as some deodorants, toothpastes, and detergents, works by inhibiting the fatty acids needed for life in bacterial cells.  It’s possible for those bacteria that survive this to adapt to protect themselves from future attacks.  These mutated bacteria are then able to go on to reproduce.

Additionally, some antibacterial agents attack bacteria in the same way prescription antibiotics do which means if bacteria develop a resistance to an antibacterial agent, one found in household soaps for example, that same strain of bacteria can also be resistant to doctor prescribed antibiotics.  This is what microbiologists call cross-resistance.

So, is the risk of unhealthy chemicals and superbugs worth it?  Does antibacterial soap work any better at killing bacteria than regular soaps?  Many claim that the amount of these chemicals found in antibacterial soaps is not enough to affectively kill the bacteria which, as mentioned before, can lead to mutated versions of common bacteria.  Others have argued that for the chemicals to really eradicate the bacteria they claim to, the consumer would need to leave the product on for at least two minutes which is far longer than most people would ever consider.

Ultimately, until all manufacturers and scientists and government agree one way or the other, it is up to the consumer to decide for themselves.  With studies claiming that some antibacterial agents have caused cancer in lab animals, can affect hormones, and may be leaving younger generations without necessary bacteria, is it worth the risk when properly washing with regular soap has been shown to be just as affective?