Pure-n-Simple Soap

I had just recently read an interesting article from the folks at beyond pesticides as I was researching the chemical Triclosan which is commonly found in over 700 household products containing antibacterial properties.  Triclosan is  also known as Irgasan and Microban.   The article mentions of an independent study a group of girl scouts conducted in St. Paul Minnesota for a science project fair.  The girls grew their own bacteria and tried to kill it with Triclosan, and found that the bacteria actually started to grow.  This two year study has led the girls to believe that because it did not actually kill the bacteria, that anti-bacterial products with Triclosan in them could actually create Super Germs.  The girls also met with local law makers who submitted a bill in effort to ban the use of Triclosan.

The girls also found that though anti-bacterial soap can kill 99.6 % of germs, regular soap can kill 99.4% of germs.  Other studies have been conducted as well of hundreds of households who do use anti-bacterial soaps and those who do not, and there was no decrease in colds, or any sickness.

Triclosan has been classified by the (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a health and environmental danger.  Studies that have been finding Triclosan in 3 out of 5 human breast milk samples shows that this chemical does work its way in to our bodies.  Triclosan has been linked to dioxins which are carcinogenic chemical that cause cancer as well as many other health problems such as birth defects, decreased fertility, and a weakened immune system.  Also Triclosan has been reported to react with chlorine molecules in tap water, forming chlorinated dioxins which are harmful as well.

I know this is crazy, and you may be asking yourself; what do I do?   Well according to the girls study and many others, regular soap kills nearly the same amount of germs as does the anti-bacterial ones do.  Also there are some essential oils that are commonly found in handmade soaps such as Tee Tree oil, and grapefruit seed extract that have antimicrobial properties in them.  Most importantly we should wash our hands often, lathering the soap for a good 10-15 seconds and rinsing in warm water drying with a clean dry towel.