Antibacterial hand soap doesn't work as advertised

Antibacterial hand soaps containing the chemical "triclosan" are no more effective at killing bacteria than regular soaps.

Illustration photo. (Source: medicalnewstoday

This is the result of a study published by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (JAC) on September 15.

According to experts, the chemical triclosan has long been one of the most popular ingredients in antibacterial soaps, used by millions of consumers and bringing in annual revenue of up to 1 billion USD in the US market alone.

However, many studies have shown that soaps containing this dangerous chemical can cause hormone disruption problems and have little antibacterial effect on users.

The FDA conducted research and found that in routine hand washing, the antibacterial effect of soaps containing triclosan was not significantly different from that of regular soaps.

To evaluate the antibacterial ability of triclosan, the research team placed 20 dangerous bacterial strains (including Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enteritidis) in Petri dishes with antibacterial soap solutions containing triclosan and regular soap.

These test samples were heated to either 22 or 40 degrees Celsius, leaving the solution in warm or hot water for 20 seconds - the correct hand washing time recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The team then applied the bacteria to the hands of 16 adults who had stopped using antibacterial soap for at least the week before the experiment. They were then asked to wash their hands for 30 seconds using either antibacterial soap or regular soap in water at 40 degrees Celsius.

In all of these experiments, the team used antibacterial soap containing 0.3% triclosan (the maximum level used in the European Union, Canada, Australia, China, and Japan).

Research shows that soaps containing triclosan only work to kill bacteria after bacteria have been soaked in the solution for up to nine hours.

At less than 6 hours, the antibacterial effects of the two soaps were almost the same. Meanwhile, 9 hours was considered too long a time for hand washing.

From these results, the researchers say consumers should be aware that antibacterial soaps do not protect them from germs as advertised./

According to VNA