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 .
According to Kapila, "Smegma, a natural substance of dead skin cells, normal flora, and secretions containing an antibacterial agent lysozyme, is more likely to accumulate when the foreskin is present." ... Using harsh soaps and aggressive cleaning tactics can cause infection and inflammation of the glands (APA, 2001.) ...