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Antibacterial soaps not really effective
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Antibacterial hand soaps containing a chemical flagged as potentially dangerous are not much better at killing germs than regular suds, researchers said yesterday.
The chemical, triclosan, was long one of the commonest ingredients in antibacterial soaps, which are used by millions and generate US$1 billion in sales annually in the United States alone, experts say.
But studies have linked it to antibiotic resistance and hormone problems, prompting a safety review by the US Food and Drug Administration that may yet lead to restrictions.
Now a study in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy says that when it comes to normal hand-washing, there is “no significant difference” between the bactericidal effects of plain soap and antibacterial soap.
The agent only became effective after microbes had been steeped in the stuff for nine hours, the authors found.
“At times less than six hours there was little difference between the two (soaps),” the researchers wrote of their tests.
The researchers said consumers need to be made aware the antibacterial soaps do not guarantee germ protection.
“It should be banned to exaggerate the effectiveness of ... products which can confuse consumers,” said study co-author Rhee Min-suk of Korea University in Seoul.
Several soapmakers have already stopped using triclosan, he added. Only 13 of 53 antibacterial soaps studied in South Korea in 2014 still contained the chemical.
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