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Antibacterial

Trying to keep your kids extra healthy by using antibacterial soap?

It sure sounds good, but yYou may be doing them more harm than good. Not only do these soaps fail to prevent illness any better than regular soap and water, there’s a chance they may be contributing to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Worse, the active chemical in this and many other antibacterial products – triclosan – has been linked to a wide range of health and environmental problems. Studies show it may cause skin irritation, allergy susceptibility, dioxin contamination and the destruction of some ecosystems.

But avoiding triclosan may be harder than you think. More than 75 percent of liquid soaps and nearly 30 percent of bar soaps contain triclosan. It can also be found in plastics, clothing and toothpaste.

While it doesn’t cause cancer, triclosan can harm the central nervous system and disrupt the body’s thyroid hormone metabolism. And, it makes its way into your bloodstream, as shown by one study in Sweden that found high levels of triclosan in human breast milk.

Want to keep your kids healthy this winter? Try some old-fashioned soap and water – the kind without triclosan. If you can find any that doesn’t contain this chemical.

For more information about this story, download the pdf.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org