Why I'm Anti-Antibacterial Soaps, Even in Flu Season

 ... But hand-washing obsessive though I might be, I won't use antibacterial soaps or antibacterial hand sanitizers as an extra precaution. They're not any better than washing with regular soap and water, and they contain something normal soap doesn't -- hormone-disrupting chemicals called triclosan and triclocarban.

Having had trouble becoming pregnant, I am only too aware of the studies demonstrating that triclosan interferes with thyroid hormone, and triclocarban can enhance the activity of male and female sex hormones. This is especially consequential for the growing bodies of children -- amplified hormonal effects at the wrong time may increase the risk of breast and prostate cancers as well as infertility. Scientists are also concerned that the overuse of antimicrobial chemicals like these could promote antibiotic resistance, leading to the creation of superbugs that are difficult to vanquish with today's antibiotics...

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http://www.onearth.org/blog/why-im-anti-antibacterial-soaps-even-in-flu-...