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Almost half of all soaps on sale in the
US contain antibacterial compounds, such as triclosan,
which could be contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant
bacteria, according to a new study.
The ubiquity of the antibacterials in soaps "is a worrying
thing," lead researcher Dr. Eli N. Perencevich of Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, told Reuters
Health. "The concern is that low levels of use of this compound,
which would occur in (households), could select bacteria that are
resistant to these products and possibly antibiotics."
The researchers investigated 295 national brand liquid soaps and
733 bar soaps, and found that 75% of liquid
soaps and nearly 30% of bar soaps contained anti-bacterial compounds
like triclosan or triclocarban.
Dr. Perencevich recommends that consumers check the product
ingredients closely when they make their next soap purchase, and
"just buy standard soap."
Dr. Stuart Levy of the Alliance
for Prudent Use of Antibiotics has been cautioning against the
overuse of antibacterial products for years. "Anti-bacterial
soaps and lotions should be reserved for the sick patients, not
the healthy household," he said. The group's website can be
found at: http://www.healthsci.tufts.edu/apua/home.html.
A spokeswoman for The Soap and Detergent Association, said that
although the group didn't keep exact figures on sales of anti-bacterial
products, she believed that they now make up about $1 billion of
the $2.2 billion hand and body wash market (approx. 45%).
Research has shown that the actual action of washing is the most
important thing when it comes to removing bacteria from the hands,
and there is no scientific evidence that adding compounds like triclosan
to household soaps prevents infections, he said.
38th Annual Meeting of the Infectious
Diseases Society of America New Orleans September 7, 2000.
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