FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed From Consumer Soaps

[Independent voter]

We were buying bars of soap with anti-bacterial properties. Amazed to find out the anti-bacteria agent they added takes several hours to kill bacteria, who lets soap sit on their bodies for several hours, what a scam.

Stuff keeps changing, pretty soon they are going to recommend that we smoke cigarettes again.





http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health...-soaps-n642036

Say goodbye to those "antibacterial" soaps. The Food and Drug Administration says they do little or nothing to make soap work any better and said the industry has failed to prove they're safe.
Companies will have a year to take the ingredients out of the products, the FDA said. They include triclosan and triclocarban. Soap manufacturers will have an extra year to negotiate over other, less commonly used ingredients such as benzalkonium chloride.

"Companies will no longer be able to market antibacterial washes with these ingredients because manufacturers did not demonstrate that the ingredients are both safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections," the FDA said in a statement.
"Some manufacturers have already started removing these ingredients from their products."
Triclosan used in 93 percent of liquid products labeled "antibacterial" or "antimicrobial" - at least 2,000 different products, according to the FDA.

"Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
"In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term."
The FDA started asking about triclosan in 1978. Environmental groups and some members of Congress have been calling for limits on the use of triclosan. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sued and the FDA agreed to do something about triclosan by 2016.
There's no proof yet that triclosan is dangerous to people, but some animal studies suggest high doses can affect the way hormones work in the body.

"Washing with plain soap and running water remains one of the most important steps consumers can take to avoid getting sick and to prevent spreading germs to others," the FDA said.
"If soap and water are not available and a consumer uses hand sanitizer instead, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that it be an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol."

Triclosan breaks open the cell walls of bacteria, killing them. But it takes several hours to do this, so it does little good in the time it takes to wash and dry hands.

[Serpha]

Industry failed to prove GMO's are safe too, yet they are allowed to be out there. 2 tier standards.

Also, what about the hand sanitizers we use in hospitals?

[Ahhdurr]

Industry failed to prove GMO's are safe too, yet they are allowed to be out there. 2 tier standards.

Also, what about the hand sanitizers we use in hospitals?

You're ignorant about GMOs which are perfectly safe, and they use various alcohol mixtures in hospitals which kills bacteria in seconds.

[Caolela]

So it took FDA from 1978 to 2016 to do anything about a fairly harmless soap additive, while there are much more important things they should be looking at and spending their very limited budgets on.

[Belize]

Industry failed to prove GMO's are safe too, yet they are allowed to be out there. 2 tier standards.

Also, what about the hand sanitizers we use in hospitals?

How has the industry failed to prove GMOs are safe...?

Also, antibacterials in soap != hand sanitizers.

[Revi]

Also, what about the hand sanitizers we use in hospitals?

Around here they use products with 80-95% alcohol usually, kills off nearly everything.

[Logwyn]

Around here they use products with 80-95% alcohol usually, kills off nearly everything.

Funny thing is... I started using hand sanitizes daily,.... either I'm allergic or it made the "bugs" run for the hills inside of my nasal passages... as I got sick sick sick...

[Calfredd]

Industry failed to prove GMO's are safe too, yet they are allowed to be out there. 2 tier standards.

Also, what about the hand sanitizers we use in hospitals?

swineflu is that you? Are you going to link to shoddy research material as well?

[soulzek]

The FDA as a whole is a joke so I really care little about what they say, do, or "order".

[Belize]

The FDA as a whole is a joke so I really care little about what they say, do, or "order".

You're not an industry, so you don't get to matter anyways.

Good thing too.

[anon5123]

Industry failed to prove GMO's are safe too

[Citation Needed]

[Paranoid Android]

The FDA as a whole is a joke so I really care little about what they say, do, or "order".

So you like being charged more for something that does nothing. These companies are not adding or saying antibacterial for the hell of it. They can make more money.

Some people. Really.

[Belize]

So you like being charged more for something that does nothing. These companies are not adding or saying antibacterial for the hell of it. They can make more money.

Some people. Really.

But Shon! Goberbment bad! Be skeptical of everything, or be a sheep!

[Doomislav]

Dammit I like my triclosan soap and toothpaste. I used the soap as my dish detergent, which I also use to clean countertops in my kitchen. And the toothpaste keeps my mouth fresh overnight. I want more things with triclosan in it... like diet soda and condoms!

[TZucchini]

Industry failed to prove GMO's are safe too, yet they are allowed to be out there.

You should have thrown in something about firearms and abortion too, and you could have really derailed the thread.

[Paranoid Android]

But Shon! Goberbment bad! Be skeptical of everything, or be a sheep!

Aaaarrgh!! That government trying to regulate me wasting my money!!!

[Kantalope]

Well it's about fucking time.

[Malachi256]

People have known anti-bacterial soap was a joke for years.

I'm interested to hear the results on hand sanitizer. I can see it being a good practice in areas where hygiene is very important (you're required to use the stuff when visiting people in the ICU, for example), but for regular personal use I'm thinking it's probably not a good thing. Dries out your hands, messes with your natural surface flora, and may even lead to less actual hand washing... meh.

[Kapadons]

Hopefully they start adding bleach to it. That shit kills nearly everything. Even AIDS.

[satimy]

use scalding hot water