Experts: Nothing beats plain soap and water

By Keith Purtell
Phoenix Staff Writer

May 06, 2008 10:47 pm

— Dermatologist Dr. Russell Brenneman said it’s an illusion to think antibacterial soap will disinfect your hands.
“The only way you can sanitize your hands is to boil them,” he said.
Brenneman said it’s easy to use a plain, mild soap and clean your hands effectively.
“Wash between the fingers and on the back of the hand as well as the front,” he said. “Wash up to the wrist, and be sure to dry between the fingers. Avoid fragrances, and look for neutral pH products.”
Some people may have problems if washing dries out their skin, especially in the winter when humidity drops below 40 percent.
Moisturize with lotion or something similar immediately after washing,” Brenneman said. “When the air is dry, the skin does not hold moisture well.”
Experts say the word “antibacterial” on a label doesn’t mean the soap product is any better than old-fashioned bar soap.
It’s an effective advertising gimmick, but it’s costing consumers more cash.
Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health reviewed 27 studies examining the safety and effectiveness of antibacterial products containing the active ingredient triclosan.
That includes most commercially-available soaps and detergents with the word “antibacterial” on their labels (with the exception of alcohol-based hand gels).
Soaps containing triclosan at concentrations often seen in products sold to the public were no better for killing bacteria and preventing infectious illness than soaps that did not contain triclosan.
That doesn’t surprise Steve Abbott. A long-time believer in chemical-free products, he recently bought Nature’s Health Food Center on East Side Boulevard.
“Most of the germs that cause the common cold have to do with airborne transmission and contact with the hands, then touching the nose, mouth, eyes or ears,” he said. “All you need is normal, everyday, old-fashioned mild hand soap. As a body, soaps sold in health food stores are less alkaline (milder than name-brand soaps). It’s a feature of how they’re made. They’re all very balanced to the skin.”
Some name-brand soaps are mild, but it may mean reading the label carefully to find that information.
WebMD.com reports that effective handwashing is important in preventing the spread of infectious illness, especially at critical points like after using the toilet, changing a baby, or handling raw foods.
Along with University of Michigan colleagues Elaine Larson, RN, PhD, and Stuart Levy, MD, researcher Allison Aiello, PhD, has conducted some of the largest and most rigorously designed studies examining the safety and effectiveness of antibacterial products.
In one of their studies, 238 families were asked to either use triclosan-containing cleaning and hygiene products for a year or similar products without the antibacterial agent. Skin testing conducted before, during, and after the intervention suggested that both cleansing techniques were equally effective at killing germs.
An FDA advisory panel considered the question of the effectiveness of antibacterial products in the fall of 2005; the panel overwhelmingly concluded that there was no evidence proving that antibacterial soaps were more effective than regular soaps for preventing infection.
There was talk at the time of restricting the labeling or advertising of new antibacterial products, but the agency has taken no formal action.
Studies in a University of Michigan laboratory first showed that triclosan can cause some bacteria to become resistant to widely used antibiotics. However, but this has not been shown outside the lab.

Why antibacterial may not help
• Antibacterial components of soaps (usually triclosan or triclocarbon) need to be left on a surface for about two minutes in order to work. Most people wash off the soap before the antibacterial ingredients can do their job.
• Some bacteria actually benefit us. The normal population of bacteria on our bodies not only eats our sweat, but also helps defend us against truly harmful, invasive bacteria.
• Many common diseases are viral in nature, and are therefore not prevented by antibacterial products.
• Some scientists theorize that bacteria may develop a resistance to bactericidal agents over time.
Source: Howstuffworks.com

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