The Dirty Truth About Soap!

So we are not talking about all soap...just those that are sold with the toxic subtances called triclosan and triclocarban. There is a lot of fuss about using anti-bacterial soap as a means to protect against infection. This may be appropriate in hospitals where exposure to the staph bacteria may prove to me deadly to some patients. In most cases, particularly outside a clinical setting, infections such as these can be prevented by washing hands and cleaning wounds immediately.

The research on these 2 substances spells problems for the endocrine system. It is estimated that we absorb roughly 60 percent of the substances that come in contact with the skin. This number was estimated from lab studies and is thought to be an underestimation considering the shear number of chemical exposures that each person has on a daily basis. The stratum corneum, which is the most superficial layer of the epidermis, is a less effective barrier than it has been assumed to be. This means that certain compounds are finding their way into the body through the skin, even though this is clearly not the only avenue of exposure. Triclosan and triclocarban are very pervasive in the environment and as a result they have been found in drinking water which provides another route of contamination. The main effect of these 2 chemicals is their influence on hormonal regulation which alters function and cell signaling. This disregulation can lead to disease which is even more problematic when we consider that these chemicals have been found in human breast milk and urine in multiple studies.

So how do you avoid these chemicals and still stay safe from bugs? Consider first that these are anti-bacterials so they miss the whole spectrum of infections that occur from viral exposures. Also, hand and wound washing with soap and water using rubbing action and running water will eliminate both bacteria and viruses. Be sure to coat the whole hand and wound with soap and rub under running water for at least 20 seconds. The soap will "cleave" the microorganisms as well as oils and dirt and the running water will wash them away. And in studies, homes that use regular soap showed to have no higher incidence of infection than homes that use anti-bacterial soap. So save your home, the environment and your body from exposure to this unnecessary harm by ditching the soaps with these 2 chemicals in it.