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 .