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FDA Bans 19 Chemicals Used In Antibacterial Soaps (nbcnews.com)
The Food and Drug Administration has ordered "antibacterial" ingredients to be removed from consumer soaps, citing a lack of evidence that they are effective in making soap work any better and that the industry has failed to prove they're safe. The banned chemicals include triclosan, triclocarban and 17 others (PDF) typically found in hand and body soaps. Companies have until late next year to remove the ingredients from their products, the FDA said. "Companies will no longer be able to market antibacterial washes with these ingredients because manufacturers did not demonstrate that the ingredients are both safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections," the FDA said in a statement. NBC News reports: "In 2013 FDA gave soapmakers a year to show that adding antibacterial chemicals did anything at all to help them kill germs. It made the rule final Friday. The FDA started asking about triclosan in 1978. Environmental groups and some members of Congress have been calling for limits on the use of triclosan. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sued and the FDA agreed to do something about triclosan by 2016. There's no proof that triclosan is dangerous to people, but some animal studies suggest high doses can affect the way hormones work in the body. The proposed rule only affects hand soaps and body washes. Triclosan is often used in toothpaste and it's been shown to help kill germs that cause gum disease."
You're kidding right... or do you work for a soap company?
The companies were given a year to prove that their active ingredients actually did anything... If they couldn't prove it... then this is more than just a FDA issue its a FTC and possibly DOJ for false advertising
Now, if only I could find a liquid hand soap that doesn't contain moisturizers...
#DeleteChrome
No, you're mis-understanding. It's like the same reason for not feeding animals anti-biotics.
These chemicals worsen the situation.
So while regular soap and water might get rid of 99.0% germs, bacteria, viruses, oils and other crud you might have on your hands, that 1% not killed still hangs around in small quantities, growing and competing for all the non-killed bugs. If one of these chemicals upped that to 99.9%, that means 99.9% are killed, and the 1% that isn't killed becomes resistant to that chemical, thus making it useless in the operating room.
And that is the point. Don't use these things unless there is a medically necessary reason to (eg AID's patients)
The FDA should have to prove harm, rather than the soap companies proving effectiveness.
The burden of proof is always on the party making the claim.
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