Soap

Antibacterial soap has been a product on the market that people have trusted for many years to knock out germs and keep them from getting sick. New data, research, and rules that are surfacing have the potential to change the product’s popularity. Antibacterial soap is ineffective and should be taken off of the market because the chemicals in it can be harmful, too much exposure can cause resistance to antibiotics, and it has not been proven to have more of an effect than regular soap and water.
When consumers are purchasing antibacterial soap, they are expecting to get a product that is effective. The vast majority of Americans do not realize that too much exposure to soaps with the chemical triclosan in it can have the opposite effect that they are looking for. Research has shown that triclosan can be a contributor to illnesses by “creating more potent strains of bacteria, which increases antibacterial and antibiotic resistance” (Beyond Pesticides 2). This is because even though the chemical gets rid of the majority of bacteria, it does not kill all of it. The bacteria that survive triclosan are then able to grow stronger which makes them even more difficult to eradicate.
Exposure to triclosan from using antibacterial soap has the potential to have harmful side effects. Studies under Isaac Pessah, chair of the Department of Molecular Biosciences in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, have produced data showing the effect of the chemical on muscle activity. The results showed that “in the presence of triclosan, the normal communication between two proteins that function as calcium channels were impaired, causing skeletal and cardiac muscle failure” (“Chemical Widely Used in Antibacterial Hand Soaps May Impair Muscle ...

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...cteria, can have harmful side effects, and is not effective. The advances that researchers have reached have helped consumers see a new viewpoint on antibacterial hand soap.

Works Cited

Perrone, Matthew. "Anti-bacterial soaps may not eliminate bacteria, FDA says." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 9 Jan. 2014.
Taylor, Ashley P. "Are Antibacterial Soaps Really Better?." Popular Mechanics. 20 Dec. 2013. Web. 9 Jan. 2014.
"What's Lurking in your Soap? The Trouble With Triclosan." Beyond Pestides. n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2014.
University of California - Davis. "Chemical widely used in antibacterial hand soaps may impair muscle function." ScienceDaily, 13 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.
"FDA Taking Closer Look at 'Antibacterial' Soap." U.S. Food and Drug Administration. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 9 Jan. 2014.