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Antibacterial Soap - Friend or Foe?

 

            Stores today fill their shelves with an overwhelming amount of .
             About 75 percent of liquid soaps are currently .
             labeled as "antibacterial". It has become a battle against germs and arsenals .
             in our homes are growing rapidly. We smear, scrub, and spray in an effort to .
             be germ free. The old saying, " and don't forget to wash your hands." has .
             taken on a whole new meaning. .
             Is antibacterial soap really better than the old-fashioned regular soap .
             and water? The antibacterial agent of these soaps is triclosan, and less .
             commonly used, triclocarban. The National Soap and Detergent Association, .
             an organization representing about one hundred and thirty North American .
             manufactures of cleaning products, claims that washing hands with this .
             ingredient results in less bacterial growth on the skin. The Food and Drug .
             Administration (FDA) on the other hand, does regulate these components, but .
             doesn't support claims that antibacterial soaps are superior to regular soaps. .
             In an independent, double-blinded experiment, caretakers of two .
             hundred and twenty two New York City households were instructed to use .
             either regular, or antibacterial soap for the period of one year. Neither .
             caretakers nor investigators knew who had used what. .
             This experiment concluded that all of the participants had less germs on their .
             hand, regardless of what soap they were using. Therefore, frequent simple .
             hand washing is sufficient to kill bacteria. In order for triclosan to work .
             properly on the surface, people would have to wash their hands for at least one .
             minute. Most people are not that patient, and wash their hands off before the .
             substance can do its job. "In fact," said Elaine Larson, PH.D. R.N. associate .
             dean for research at the Columbia university school of nursing, "It makes you .


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