We all do it. Take a child to the park, squeeze a blob of floral smelling hand gel into their little hands and kill the germs that are no doubt lurking on the chain of the swing. This happens when kids are taken to the play area in the mall, the grocery store, the school. It's okay. We all do it. You're protecting your child from all the nasty germs out there, right?
What if you were wrong?
The overuse of antibacterial soaps and hand gels could be causing more harm than good.
About 75 percent of liquid antibacterial soaps and 30 percent of bars use a chemical called triclosan as an active ingredient. That is the same active ingredient in antibiotics.
Originally antibacterial soaps were only used in hospitals. But, in the 1990's it was made available to the general public. Since then, studies have shown that antibacterial soaps and gels are helping children build immunities to antibiotics, can hinder the production of thyroid hormone that can result in infidelity, early puberty, obesity and cancer, and are even causing more children to have peanut allergies and hay fever. In fact, the FDA stated that antibacterial soaps don't actually clean better than regular soap and water.
According to the Smithsonian, "the product of decades of research, notes that the costs of antibacterial soaps likely outweigh the benefits, and forces manufacturers to prove otherwise."
In addition to the potential physical dangers of using antibacterial soaps, triclosan is also bad for the environment. The drug does not break down once it is rinsed from the hands. Remnants of it go down the drain and into the water ways. Once there, triclosan hinders algae development.
To find out more about over use of antibiotics, click here.
So. What is a parent to do?
Don't panic. Most of the negative side effects can be reversed by not using them. Instead, there are a few easy alternatives that will still clean the hands of both children and adults just as well.
Good old, soap and warm water is the quickest and easiest way to ensure that hands are clean after coming in contact with a potentially contaminated area. Be sure that children are washing their hands for 20 seconds or more. Sing a song like the ABCs or "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to help the time pass.
For the times that soap and water are not available, hand sanitizers like Purell that don't contain triclosan are safe to use. Squeeze a pea sized amount into the palm of the hand and rub it in thoroughly.
Remember, although some bacteria is bad, such as those that cause illness, there are some that our body needs to function. The "good bacteria" that lives in the stomach to help break down food for instants is only one of many ways our bodies use bacteria. If we kill off all bacteria, not only would our bodies not function properly, but we are aiding in creating new and more deadly bacteria that does not respond to even the strongest of our antibiotics.
So, the next time you reach for your antibacterial soap or hand sanitizer, remember that "more" doesn't always mean "better."
