5 reasons to ditch antibacterial cleaning and personal care products
The problem with antibac cleaners
Both the US FDA and the UK HSE state that antibacterial soaps are scientifically proven to be no more effective than traditional soap and water, and could be dangerous.
This one is important to us as a business that puts the environment before profit. Antibacterial domestic products (soaps, surface cleaners etc) seem to be on the rise as less-than-scrupulous brands attempt to cash in on the demand created by their own misleading claims that these products are somehow more effective or providing benefits.
There are some important things to take into account here. Following are 5 very good, science-based reasons you should ditch antibacterial products. Put simply, you do not need them in your household. Period.
1. They are no more effective than ordinary soap.
In 42 years of research, no evidence has been uncovered that proves antibacterial soaps to be more effective. These soaps target bacteria, not viruses such as the flu. Viruses cause greater widespread illness.
2. They may be creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Increased use of antibiotic chemicals are causing random mutations in bacteria that allow them to survive exposure. The more often we use the chemicals, the greater and stronger the mutations.
3. They may act as endocrine disruptors
The active ingredients in antibacterial soaps can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate the thyroid. This can lead to infertility, advanced puberty, obesity or cancer.
4. Antibacterial soaps kill good bacteria too
By reducing children’s exposure to bacteria, their immune systems have a higher chance of developing allergies such as hay fever. Exposure to bacteria at a young age is necessary for a properly functioning immune system as an adult.
5. It is bad for the environment.
Soap goes down the drain and back into the environment. Once there, it can harm algae, which make much of the world’s oxygen and are the beginning of the food chain.
The only reason anti-bacterial cleaning products and hand soaps should exist at all is that for certain applications, such as healthcare, there are regulations that make them necessary. They are inappropriate for domestic settings.
To put it bluntly, if you see a term like 'eco-friendly' on an anti-bacterial product, you are being lied to by greenwashers. They are incompatible terms. It's detrimental to ecological and human health, and is the opposite of sustainable.
Further reading/citations
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/antibacterial-soap-do-you-need-it