With H1N1 on everyone’s mind, antibacterial soap and hand sanitizers have been flying off the shelves. Prevention is key, we are told, so wash your hands frequently and dry them using hand towels to prevent acquiring or spreading infection and flu…
But should you use regular soap or antibacterial soap? Should you skip the soap all together and use hand sanitizer? What’s safest? Most effective? What are the environmental health implications?
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Antibacterial products (and soaps) are intended to kill germs that cause sickness…but did you know that the American Environmental Protection Agency considers them pesticides?
Antibacterial products weaken our immune system and create powerful strains of super germs and bacteria. And they don’t protect from viruses, but might actually be worsening asthma, allergies and other health issues. Plus when they are washed down the drain they enter our waterways which cause environmental health problems for us and other living things.
This article reposted on Forecast Earth, fleshes out the risks of using antibacterial soaps. In one study, a standard strain of E. coli had to be bathed in store-bought antibacterial soap for a minimum of two hours before being killed! Mutated strains survived for twice as long.
The good news is that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are a different product all-together and they do kill germs on hands quickly and will not cause germs to become resistant to antibiotics, reports the City of Ottawa.
Verdict? Wash your hands with regular soap, in warm water for 20 seconds and dry them thoroughly. Do this as often as possible throughout the day. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers when you do not have access to soap and a sink.
Be well,
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