Antimicrobial soaps contain certain chemicals not found in plain soaps. Antimicrobial soaps contain ingredients that are personated to neutralize a broad spectrum of bacteria when used to wash your hands or body. Using antimicrobial soaps can cause an increase in drug-resistant microbes because every time we use antimicrobial compounds that are designed to kill bacteria, the bacteria respond by getting tougher and more aggressive, many liquid soaps contain “antimicrobial” or “antibacterial” elements that, when rubbed on hands and then washed down the sink, add to anti-microbial resistance and create superbugs. Many liquid soaps labeled antimicrobial contain triclosan, triclosan affects the way some hormones work in the body, which raises alarming concerns for the effects of use in humans. Antibacterial soaps have all the same properties as regular soap, but with an extra ingredient added, triclosan, which is intended to stop the bacteria remaining on your skin from reduplicating. The goal of the triclosan is that this additive will further protect the hand-washer from harmful bacteria as compared to regular soap. But on the contrary, there are concerns that triclosan use may increase the risk of generating drug-resistant bacteria. The bacteria normally found on your skin can become resistant to triclosan. Triclosan contains a phenol ring structure that is attached to chlorine groups. The phenol ring is difficult to break apart, which means that bacteria and fungi are less suitable to be capable of degrading the triclosan molecule to a form that is inactive. Consumers should wash their hands with plain soap and water. That’s still one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and to prevent spreading germs. According to Theresa M. Michele, MD, of the FDA’s Division of Nonprescriiption Drug Products, she says, “Following simple handwashing practices is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness at home, at school, and elsewhere.”
Say goodbye to antibacterial soaps: Why the FDA is banning a household item. Science in the News. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/say-goodbye-antibacterial-soaps-fda-banning-household-item/
Commissioner, O. of the. (n.d.). Antibacterial soap? you can skip it, use plain soap and water. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/antibacterial-soap-you-can-skip-it-use-plain-soap-and-water
Lithgow, T. (2021, April 9). Feeding the superbugs: Why we need to wash our hands of antimicrobial soaps. Monash Lens. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://lens.monash.edu/@medicine-health/2021/03/23/1382948/feeding-the-superbugs-why-we-need-to-wash-our-hands-of-antimicrobial-soaps
-, F. S., By, -, Frank SmithFrank Smith was trained as an agricultural scientist in the UK, Smith, F., & Frank Smith was trained as an agricultural scientist in the UK. (2021, May 18). Antibacterial soaps cause antibiotic resistance. Have a Go News. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://www.haveagonews.com.au/health/antibacterial-soaps-cause-antibiotic-resistance/
