A study found that antibacterial formulas that contain a certain chemical dangerous to health are no greater in eliminating germs than regular soaps.
Long before, the chemical triclosan is one of the most common ingredients in antibacterial soaps. However, studies revealed that this can cause some adverse effects like antibacterial resistance, hormonal imbalance, and possibly cancer, thus urging the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review its safety for use in December 2013.
A research published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy by scientists from Korea University in Seoul recently disclosed that there is actually "no significant difference" between washing with plain soap and antibacterial soap. In their report, they claimed that upon comparing traditional soap and water versus antimicrobial formulas, the latter did not kill any more bacteria even after 20 seconds, the World Health Organization's recommended length of time for hand washing.
There were two procedures carried out. The first test involved a comparison between the two soaps by examining triclosan's bactericidal effects on 20 different bacteria strains suggested by the FDA. This includes Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enteritidis. Human hand washing condition was also simulated by exposing bacteria at room (22°C) and warm (40°C) temperatures to a 0.3% concentrated triclosan, which, according to co-author Min Suk Rhee, is the maximum amount allowed in the European Union, Canada, Australia, and Japan.
The second test was done in a real-life setting where bacteria levels were measured by asking 16 healthy volunteers to wash their bacteria-coated hands for 30 seconds using either bacterial or plain soap in a 40-degree water.
It can be drawn from the experiment that antimicrobial solutions were no greater in eliminating bacteria than plain soaps. However, scientists discovered that the antibacterial suds "performed significantly better after nine hours of exposure," Rhee said. This, however, is a way long time to wash hands.
Dr Rhee advised that "advertisement and consumer belief regarding the effectiveness of antibacterial soaps need to be addressed."
