About those anti-bacterial soaps ........

[jennyleigh1975]

By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 7 minutes ago



SILVER SPRING, Md. - Anti-bacterial soaps and body washes in the household aren't any more effective in reducing illness than regular soap, and could potentially contribute to bacterial resistance to antibiotics, experts told a government advisory panel Thursday.

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The independent panel, the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee, advises theFood and Drug Administration. Panelists were to vote later Thursday whether they believed such soaps provided any benefits above regular soap for people outside of health care.

The FDA is not bound by their decisions but often follows their advice. The agency has the authority to add warning labels to or restrict the availability of such soaps and related items, but it has given no indication any such ruling is imminent.

In documents, FDA officials have raised concerns about whether the antibacterials contribute to the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, and said the agency has not found any medical studies that definitively linked specific anti-bacterial products to reduced infection rates.

The committee was told that "there's a lack of evidence that antiseptic soaps provide a benefit beyond plain soap," said Allison E. Aiello, an assistant professor at the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan, citing a series of studies in the United States and Pakistan.

Both kinds of soaps reduced infections in households, but neither one worked better than the other, she said.

Representatives of the soap industry, who were to give presentations later Thursday, argue antibacterials are safe and far more effective than regular soap. The popularity of antibacterials has skyrocketed in the last decade as consumers decided killing bacteria in the home was better than just washing them off.

Anti-bacterial products kill most of the bacteria they encounter. Regular soap helps separate bacteria from the skin so it washes down the drain, or transfers to a towel.

But Dr. Stuart B. Levy, president of the Alliance for Prudent Use of Antibiotics, said laboratory studies have suggested the soaps sometimes leave behind bacteria that have a better ability to flush threatening substances — from anti-bacterial soap chemicals to antibiotics — from their system.

"What we're seeing is evolution in action," he said.

He advocates restricting anti-bacterial products from consumer use, leaving them for hospitals and homes with very sick people, where he says they are needed most.

"Bacteria are not going to be destroyed," he said. "They've seen dinosaurs come and go. They will be happy to see us come and go. Any attempt to sterilize our home is fraught with failure."

Levy said overuse of antibiotics is the main cause of bacteria developing resistance to them. He acknowledged that a yearlong study showed that homes using anti-bacterial soaps did not show an increase in resistant bacteria in significant numbers. But he argued the soaps will still contribute to resistance over a longer period.

Antibacterials use alcohol, bleach or synthetic chemicals. Levy, a professor of medicine and molecular biology at Tufts University School of Medicine, had particular criticism for those using synthetic chemicals, which he said remain in the environment instead of breaking down.

[kate1966]

That's quite interesting Leigh........

[samara's on tv]

Wow I did not know that...I just use regular soap though and I haven't been sick for a LONG time *Knock on wood*


~Monica

[mjewell]

I'm getting really sick of all this back and forth. Just a week ago there was an article about a study where hand sanitizers were used in homes and regular soap was used in others - the sanitizers houses were 50%less likely to get stomach flu.


I don't care what they say, i am washing my hands AND using anti-bac. Better safe than sorry. What i have read is that soap washes the germs OFF but doesn't kill them. Anti-bac actually kills the germs.

[hollyjean]

I have actually done an experiment in microbiology with different hand washes. We had different people all touch walls, door handles, hand rails etc around the building then we washed our hands with different soaps. We used a regular soap, a alcohol hand rub and hospital standard soap. One person did not wash thier hands at all. Everyone then pressed thier fingers into agar jelly (growth medium) in a petri dish and they were incububated so we could then see which one was most effective at killing bacteria. I have to tell you that there was a considerable difference in the amount of bacterial growth for the different soaps. The regular soap produced almost as many colonies and types of bacteria as the one where the hands were not washed at all which is pretty worrying. The hospital standard stuff (hibiscrub) and the alcohol hand rub were very effective and produced much less bacterial growth, so i would deffinately recommend using an antibacterial soap, not a regular one!

[tayda]

That was an interesting article you posted. So pretty much what is is saying is that bacteria is evolving to resist our anti-bacterials and antibiotics. (lovely).


HollyJean.. I was watching 20/20 I believe and this segment hada section on bacteria, soap, and handwashing.


They had people who had all touched the same thing ( a control ) place their hands in agar jelly (in the petri dish) and covered them, and then had them wash their hands vigorously, all over for at least 30 seconds. I believe that 1/2 of them used regular soap, and the other half used anti-bacterial soap.Then, after they washed their hands, they touched them into another petri dish.The results showed that anti-bacerial was only slightly more effective when everyone washed their hands the same way. (The before dishes were really gross).

[jennyleigh1975]

When I posted that article earlier I had something else typed above it tell that I saw it on yahoo news, ect ........ but when the message posted that part wasnt there ........... sorry guys. I just found it interesting and thought I would share.