Are antibacterial products with triclosan fueling bacterial resistance?

When it comes to keeping clean, there could such a thing as too clean. I’ve posted before about how often people shower and whether showering daily might have a downside. It’s not just my opinion. Over five years ago, the FDA raised alarms about antibacterial soap and whether it might lead to more resistant bacteria. At the time, most liquid soaps and about a third of bar soaps contained triclosan, a powerful antibacterial drug that’s also found in mouthwash, makeup, toothpaste, cutting boards, and even mattress pads. For decades, these products have been marketed as cleaner or more hygienic, to exploit our aversion toward (or obsession about) germs and their potential to cause disease. In 2013, the FDA told makers of antibacterial soaps to prove that their products are more effective than regular soap and water at preventing disease, or else take them off the market. Because no such proof ever came, the FDA proposed banning triclosan from liquid soaps in 2016. This year, the FDA announced the final rule on this ban, which will take full effect in April 2020. New concerns about antibacterial products A new study suggests that concerns about triclosan’s impact on bacterial resistance to antibiotics are well-founded. Researchers exposed bacteria to triclosan before administering antibiotics to find out whether bacterial resistance to antibiotics would increase. It did — dramatically. One in 10 bacteria exposed to triclosan managed to survive antibiotics versus one in...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Infectious diseases Men's Health Women's Health Source Type: blogs