It’s hard to imagine that the popularity of antibacterial cleansers is a cause for concern, but for a variety of reasons it is. Antibacterial cleansers are usually effective against many types of bacteria on the skin but they end up causing problems for just that very reason. The widespread use of antibacterial agents has created strains of resistant organisms that will compromise the wider usefulness of triclosan, the most typical antibacterial agent in these products (Source: American Journal of Infection Control, October 2001, pages 281-283).
The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Source: CDC, www. cdc. gov) states that hand-washing in warm water with plain soap for at least ten seconds is sufficient in most cases (even for healthcare workers) to eliminate germs.
There are now more than 700 antibacterial products available to the consumer. According to the CDC, “The public is being bombarded with ads for cleansers, soaps, toothbrushes, dishwashing detergents, and hand lotions, all containing antibacterial agents. Likewise, we hear about ‘superbugs’ and deadly viruses. Germs have become the buzzword for a danger people want to eliminate from their surroundings. In response to these messages, people are buying antibacterial products because they think these products offer health protection for them and their families Besides resistance, the antibacterial craze has another
potential consequence.
“Reports are mounting about a possible association between infections in early childhood and decreased incidence of allergies. In expanding this ‘hygiene hypothesis,’ some researchers have found a correlation between too much hygiene and increased allergy. This hypothesis stems from studies that revealed an increased frequency of allergies, cases of asthma, and eczema in persons who have been raised in an environment overly protective against microorganisms. In one rural community, children who grew up on farms had fewer allergies than did their counterparts who did not live on farms. Graham Rook, University College, London, has likened the immune system to the brain. You have to exercise it, that is, expose it to the right antigenic information so that it matures correctly. Excessive hygiene, therefore, may interfere with the normal maturation of the immune system by eliminating the stimulation by commensal microflora [normal and safe bacteria that live on the skin].”
Even if the hypothesis that antibacterial products help create strains of resistant bacteria doesn’t prove out and the theories about “exercising our immune system” fail to be true, antibacterial products may not be the help many think they are. Antibacterial products are marketed under the notion that they will lower the risk of disease. However, flus and most colds are viral infections, not bacterial ones, so antibacterial cleansers are useless as a protection against them.