Clean out Your Bathroom, the FDA No Longer Considers Anti-bacterial Soap Safe

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ruled that products found in anti-bacterial soap are no longer considered safe. In a decision issued Friday, the FDA determined that 19 ingredients (including many of the most actively used) are not condoned for healthy daily use.

From their report published Friday:

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. Some manufacturers have already started removing these ingredients from their products.

This final rule applies to consumer antiseptic wash products containing one or more of 19 specific active ingredients, including the most commonly used ingredients – triclosan and triclocarban. These products are intended for use with water, and are rinsed off after use.

As Lifehacker notes, "Years ago, the FDA allowed the sale of these soaps because the chemicals in them are fairly safe, and a few squirts of soap aren’t likely to hurt anyone. Use became so widespread... that triclosan has been found in human milk and dolphins’ blood." Dolphins' blood! Fortunately, the ruling does not apply to hand sanitzers, which I would honestly keep using regardless of what the FDA has to say about it.

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