Soap makers now have to get their junk out because plain soap works just as well and without risk. Manufacturers were ordered by the FDA to pull out 19 different chemicals from their body wash, hand soap, dish soap and other soaps. Hallelujah, these chemicals are pesticides which go down the drain and into our ecosystem.
We kind of got all bug-phobic when soap makers started adding antibacterials like triclosan and fluorosan into soap. Fluorosan has a fluorinated and brominated backbone, and fluorine and bromine compounds are known to interfere with thyroid hormone production. Triclosan may reduce testosterone, behave like estrogen (raising it), impact your ability to conceive and disrupts many human hormones.
Millions of you slathered on bizarre chemicals or all over the kids with the misguided notion that “antibacterial” was better. Triclosan is in 93 percent of antibacterial soap products, as well as cutting boards, dish soap, deodorants, yoga mats and even lip stains!
The problem is that triclosan and other antiseptics and pesticides go right through your skin, and show up later in your urine and breast milk.
Soap makers have to clean up their act now and they have one year. I don’t feel sorry for them. These companies spent billions of advertising dollars to brainwash you that their chemicals are necessary in order to kill germs, fend off the flu or get you really clean. Puhleese. Like I was dirtier before you put the triclosan, hexachloraphene and methylbenzethonium chloride in there?! Does anyone feel dirtier with that stuff on them or is it just me?
I never bought it though. And I told you years ago not to buy it either. I remember spending hours one night scouring the Internet just trying to find a foaming soap that was free of potentially harmful chemicals. Soap, I just wanted S.O.A.P that’s it.
What was wrong with plain soap? Nothing. I knew all along that this was just clever marketing – what is termed product diversification – and the addition of these chemicals were synthetic, unproven and just put in there to make the label prettier for “show.”
The theory behind triclosan is that it’s there to crack open the cell walls of bacteria, which renders them inactive, however, it doesn’t work fast – it takes hours to accomplish the killing task. Triclosan doesn’t kill viral proteins either. These added ingredient(s) make for an awesome label, with the implied message that germs will be killed instantly on your hand, before they can get inside you and make you sick or spread infection.
So the FDA is putting their foot down. Better late than never. I mean they started their investigation in 1978! C’mon people, go a little faster next time would you? Can you focus on glyphosate next please? To their end, the FDA is actually planning a full-on review of hand sanitizers and germ-killing chemicals used in hospitals.
Their final decision, made last week isn’t based on one study; there have been many. The latest comes from South Korea where scientists tested antibacterial soap on 20 different strains of bacteria. Plain soap performed just as well.
A licensed pharmacist for over 22 years Suzy Cohen shares the pros and cons of medication use as well as natural substitutions for most any of your health concerns. Visit Suzy's website at www.dearpharmacist.com.