Published on January 29, 2014

Soap companies in the U.S don’t consider soaps to be capable of getting people or even dishes clean. Majority of the liquid soaps these companies sell are fortified with bacteria-killing chemicals. They have been pitching in favour of antimicrobial soaps, which according to them kill more germs than ordinary soaps. However, the important question is not if these products put an end to germs but if they can actually reduces illnesses. There is no proof that antimicrobials protect consumer’s health, but instead are making germs more powerful.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided that the soap manufacturers will have to present evidence about their product’s safety and efficiency or else will have to take them off the market. Despite having drafted this rule nearly 35 years ago, it took a lawsuit from the Natural Resources Defense Council to force FDA to implement this mandate.

Research shows that the soap companies have a tough battle ahead of them. In a survey conducted in 2007, not even one of the four trials showed reduction in illness symptoms in households that used antimicrobial soap. In five out of nine studies, those who washed using an antimicrobial soap had significantly lesser bacteria on their hands. However, in four of those trials the biocide used was 2-10 times as concentrated as in consumer soaps. In the fifth study, reduction in germs was accomplished when the volunteers washed their hands for 30 seconds 18 times a day.

The industry will also have to look into allegations that some of their products are harmful. Triclosan is the most common agent in antimicrobial soaps. Studies on animals have shown that this chemical alters hormone regulation. Research also suggests that triclosan may contribute to antibiotic resistance in bacteria that cause diseases in humans. This harmful chemical can enter the food chain via wastewater. Every year nearly 2 million people fall ill with antibiotic-resistant infections in the U.S., of which 23,000 die. Nearly 72 per cent of Americans have triclosan residue in their urine.

These statistics prove that the risk that antibacterial soaps pose to human health is high and if the soap companies can’t present evidence as to the potency of their products, then the FDA should ban them.