| Anti-Bacterial Soaps - why we think you should bin them! | |
| Date Added: September 30, 2009 09:41:41 PM | |
| Author: Naomi Andersson | |
| Category: Health & Beauty | |
| Time to get on my upturned box in the town square on this one! At the events I do locally, I am increasingly presented with dry little hands, by worried parents, and when I ask what the kids use to wash their hands its all manner of foaming frog shaped bottles and anti-bacterial yuk....and what do I hear, "its the only way I can get them to wash their hands"....if this sounds familiar read on! I googled Triclosan, the key ingredient in anything claiming to be anti-bacterial. I dare you to do the same. One site stated that in some countries Triclosan is regarded a cancer causing pesticide. Friends of the Earth report that Triclosan (sometimes marketed under the name of 'Microban') is added to a wide range of products, including toiletries such as liquid soaps, shower gels, mouthwashes, toothpaste and household products such as washing-up liquids, dishcloths, chopping boards, bin liners, plastic kitchen utensils, scouring pads and toilet cleaners. It has also been used in some clothing, such as socks and bicycle shorts. Triclosan has been detected as a contaminant in human breast milk and in fish and it has been found in some rivers and lakes. A new Danish report shows that wastewater effluents discharged into rivers can contain the chemical. In the last few years, government authorities in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany have issued press statements discouraging people from using antibacterial household and personal hygiene products. Concerns have been raised about the potential for encouraging bacterial resistance and research has suggested a possible link with hormone-disrupting chemicals. The European Commission is currently planning to overhaul laws regulating the use of chemicals in household products but is facing vociferous lobbying from the chemical industry. Time to read the label again! Find yourself a gentle, preferably locally hand made soap. Every health store does them and they cost about 60p, they also last around 2 months. Get a soap dish, and teach your kids to wash their hands properly. We all grew up without frogs that vomit foam filled with harsh chemicals. |
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