FDA looking at health risks of antibacterial liquid soaps

[longknife]

By MATTHEW PERRONE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration says there is no evidence that antibacterial chemicals used in liquid soaps and washes help prevent the spread of germs, and there is some evidence they may pose health risks.

The agency said it is revisiting the safety of chemicals like triclosan in light of recent studies suggesting they can interfere with hormone levels and spur the growth of drug-resistant bacteria.

Oops! Another thing I need to take a good look at. Read more from my local newspaper @ FDA looking at health risks of antibacterial liquid soaps | Las Vegas Review-Journal

I think I've read this elsewhere but can't remember where.

 

[Granny]

This is typical of the FDA - nothing new here. It approves a product as safe to be on the market and then after 10 or 20 years of public consumption and use says 'wait a minute, let's take another look at this.'

Every time I see a Lysol ad I have to shake my head. The new marketing approach is called "healthing." So if you run around all day and all night spraying the hell out of everything in your home 99.9% free of any germs anywhere ... how do you build up any natural defenses against some things? Screw that stuff. I refused to live in a sterile environment a long time ago and have not seen any bad consequences to myself or my children. Some germs are less serious than others. Common sense goes a long way but there doesn't seem to be much common sense practice anymore.

Another recent item on the "Oh-Oh List" is e-cigarettes. Apparently a product that can kill you in the same manner that the product you're trying to get rid of will kill you.

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - now we all gonna get sick from not washin' our hands an' den we all gonna die of the epizootics...

US Bans Antibacterial Soaps
September 02, 2016 - Americans use a lot of antibacterial soaps, but today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned 19 chemicals commonly found in them.

“Companies will no longer be able to market antibacterial washes with these ingredients because manufacturers did not demonstrate that the ingredients are both safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections,” the FDA wrote in a news release. In its ruling, the FDA said this would apply to soaps containing any of the 19 chemicals, including triclosan, found in liquid soaps, and triclocarbon, found in soap bars.

The FDA said some soap manufacturers had already removed these ingredients. “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.”

The FDA has banned 19 chemicals commonly found in antibacterial soaps.​

Antibacterial hand wipes, liquid hand sanitizers and other products used in a “healthcare setting” are not covered by the ruling. In 2013, the FDA proposed the ban, saying that using antibacterial soaps containing these chemicals “could pose health risks, such as bacterial resistance or hormonal effects.”

The agency sought further data from manufacturers that showed the soaps were effective but said such data was not provided. Manufacturers have one year to comply to the FDA’s ruling. While the FDA maintains that simple soap and water is the best way to prevent spreading germs, if they are not available, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.

US Bans Antibacterial Soaps