Antibacterial This and That

In a blog about gastro, we talked about the importance of hand washing in the context of preventing illnesses spreading. Which leads us into the increasing trend for so many cleaning agents to be antibacterial and which researchers believe unnecessary and may even be harmful.

Antibacterial Everything

Looking around the supermarket, you will see antibacterial hand soap, liquid soap, dishwashing liquid, dish brushes, cleaning sprays, laundry powder, cleaning cloths, sponges for floor mops, floor wipes – the list goes on and on! You may even find antiperspirants/deodorants marketed as providing antibacterial defence. Many of these products are promoted as being essential to family health because they ‘kill 99.9% of bacteria & remove viruses’. By implication it seems that anything that isn’t antibacterial isn’t as good.

Research indicates that antibacterial products offer no significant advantage over regular soap and water for general cleanliness. Moreover, their widespread use has been linked to the development of bacteria that are increasingly resistant to disinfectants and antibiotics.

Why Could Antibacterial Products Be More Harmful?

Antibacterial soaps (sometimes called antimicrobial or antiseptic soaps) and cleaning agents contain chemical ingredients that plain soaps do not. Common ‘antibacterial’ ingredients are triclosan, triclocarbon and benzalkonium chloride. Research suggests that these ingredients contribute to bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics. This seems to be because there isn’t enough of the antibacterial ingredients in the hand wash or cleaning product to completely destroy bacteria and so some survive. These surviving bacteria reproduce and it’s these new strains that can become resistant to antibiotics and disinfectants. Bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics contribute to increased risks of infection in the community and in hospitals.

Resistance To Antibiotics

Strains of bacteria that are resistant to several types of antibiotics is of real concern around the world. The WHO (World Health Organisation) stated that we could be heading to a “post-antibiotic age,” a time in which common infections and minor injuries can lead to death because antibiotics no longer work. There are documentaries that support this view, suggesting that in 10 years’ time we could see children dying from a simple injury such as a stubbed toe because we don’t have antibiotics to treat an infection that may occur as a result of the stubbed toe.

Good Hygiene Practice

This combined with the ‘obsession’ with cleanliness may be partly responsible for the increase in the number of people who suffer from allergic asthma and conditions such as hay fever. Some exposure to dirt may actually help your immune system by reducing your likelihood of developing an allergic reaction to common allergens. Being too clean can work against this. Some scientists suggest we should target our hygiene practices to the areas of greatest risk, such as washing hands after going to the toilet and before handling food.

There’s no doubt that hand washing and home cleanliness are essential to good health. However healthy households do not need to use antibacterial products routinely. Effective hand washing with soap, and household cleaning using warm water and a plain detergent is an effective way to get rid of germs. Continued use of antibacterial products regularly may pose a wider health risk.