Almost half of all soaps on sale in the US contain antibacterial compounds, such as triclosan, which could be contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a new study.

The ubiquity of the antibacterials in soaps "is a worrying thing," lead researcher Dr. Eli N. Perencevich of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, told Reuters Health. "The concern is that low levels of use of this compound, which would occur in (households), could select bacteria that are resistant to these products and possibly antibiotics."

The researchers investigated 295 national brand liquid soaps and 733 bar soaps, and found that 75% of liquid soaps and nearly 30% of bar soaps contained anti-bacterial compounds like triclosan or triclocarban.

Dr. Perencevich recommends that consumers check the product ingredients closely when they make their next soap purchase, and "just buy standard soap."

Dr. Stuart Levy of the Alliance for Prudent Use of Antibiotics has been cautioning against the overuse of antibacterial products for years. "Anti-bacterial soaps and lotions should be reserved for the sick patients, not the healthy household," he said.

A spokeswoman for The Soap and Detergent Association, said that although the group didn't keep exact figures on sales of anti-bacterial products, she believed that they now make up about $1 billion of the $2.2 billion hand and body wash market (approx. 45%).

Research has shown that the actual action of washing is the most important thing when it comes to removing bacteria from the hands, and there is no scientific evidence that adding compounds like triclosan to household soaps prevents infections, he said.

38th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America New Orleans September 7, 2000.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

A good piece of research showing just how common these antibacterial soaps are. The antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary and cause far more harm than good. It would be wise to identify a chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to. Even better would be to avoid purchasing products from manufacturers who make anti-bacterial products and switch to a more natural one that you can likely find in the local health food store.

In addition to the prevalence reported in the study, I would almost guarantee that the percentages would be even higher for children's soaps. One of my staff members reported to me that he could not find even 1 single conventional liquid soap, specifically marketed for children.

There is just no rational reason for healthy people to be scared of bacteria on other microbes. They have been an integral part of our ecosystem and actually providing humans with health benefits since the beginning of time.

© Copyright 2008 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.