In recent years, a huge number of products have become labeled as "antibacterial." It's now possible to buy antibacterial soap, spray cleaners, hand sanitizers, toothpaste, body wash, and one company is even putting antibacterial agents on children's toys!

The companies who make these products want you to think that your home is crawling with evil, sickness carrying GERMS that must be stopped. I know you are concerned about your family's health and well-being, and so do the companies who make these products. Commercials for them manipulate your feelings of love and concern as a marketing ploy.

Many contain harsh chemicals that are bad for your skin, your eyes, your lungs, and some are even carcinogenic. Our bodies are designed to be able to fight off germs, but they canˆ¢t deal with some of these chemicals. There is even evidence that children growing up in too antiseptic of an environment develop immunological diseases because their bodies never learn to effectively deal with germs.

Not all bacteria cause diseases. There are also GOOD bacteria that are necessary for our health, but these products can't tell the difference and kill those too.

However, the worst problem with the antibacterial agents is that by using them, you're actually speeding along the process of evolution for these tiny animals, killing off the majority of them and leaving the strongest to mutate and grow into resistant strains of super-bacteria that our bodies will have more trouble with.

In short, most of these cleaners and soaps are far worse for you than the germs themselves!

What can you do? Washing your hands is still important, but regular old soap and warm water are fine. Avoid soaps with perfumes and artificial colours.

I encourage you to look into it, and decide for yourself!

Links:

Antibacterial Products May Worsen Problem Of Resistant Bacteria  (cached)
calls the overuse of these products "a serious public health concern" and says that they may cause harmful bacteria such as E. coli to develop into resistant strains.

Is Antibacterial Soap Any Better Than Regular Soap?  (cached)
explains how soap works and why antibacterial soap isn't better than regular soap.

Antibacterial Soap Overuse May Help Spread Disease  (cached)
explores both sides of the bacterial resistance argument, but also shows how too much hand washing with any kind of soap can actually increase the spread of germs.

Antibacterial Soap 'May Not Work'  (cached)
reports on a meeting of the American Medical Association where doctors claimed that antibacterial soaps do much more harm than good.

Antibacterial Household Items Are Making Germs More Drug-resistant  (cached)
an article from APUA, The Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics.

Bring on the Germs: Too Much Cleanliness May be Making Some People Sick  (cached)
explores the consequences of having your household be too germ-free, including immunological disorders, eczema, diabetes, and asthma. This excellent article also talks about Japan, where they are even more germ-phobic than in North America.

Scientific abstracts from The [United States'] National Library of Medicine:

Is Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma Associated with the Use of Antibacterial Soaps?  (cached)
proposes that there may be a link between the rise in the use of antibacterial soap and the rise in skin cancer.

Antibacterial Household Products: Cause for Concern  (cached)
examines how antibacterial agents can help create resistant bacteria, as well as a negative impact on the human immune system.

Antibiotic and Antiseptic Resistance: Impact on Public Health  (cached)
stresses that antibacterial agents are being used too much, and are also killing good bacteria that are necessary for our survival.

An opposing viewpoint:

Germsmart.com  (cached)
a site promoting the use and safety of antibacterial agents. When you read the information at this site, keep in mind that it is sponsored by trade organizations representing companies who manufacture and sell these products!