(ktorster)

FDA Finally Solving The Burning Question Of Whether Antibacterial Soap Is Safe

You put it on your hands, wipe your utensils with it before they touch your food, slather it all over your body and generally dunk yourself in it throughout your life — but is antibacterial soap safe? Or rather, is its resident germ-killer, triclosan, ineffective or even not good for you? The Food and Drug Administration is working on an answer. [More]

Study: Hand Sanitizer Not Terribly Good At Fighting Cold Or Flu

Study: Hand Sanitizer Not Terribly Good At Fighting Cold Or Flu

Only a few months after the FDA said that “antibacterial” soaps containing Triclosan might be just as effective as regular ol’ soap, a University of Virginia study claims that alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t really put a ding in the number of people who catch a cold or the flu. [More]

Lawsuit Asks FDA To Regulate Sperm-Damaging Antimicrobial
Soap Chemicals

Lawsuit Asks FDA To Regulate Sperm-Damaging Antimicrobial Soap Chemicals

Thirty years ago, the FDA considered regulating two toxic chemicals that can damage reproductive organs, sperm quality, and hormone production. Rather than do something, the agency instead did nothing. Last week, the National Resources Defense Council sued the agency, asking them to finally finish the job and regulate the chemicals triclosan and triclocarban. [More]

FDA: Your Antibacterial Soap May Be No Better Than My Regular Soap

FDA: Your Antibacterial Soap May Be No Better Than My Regular Soap

Responding to concerns from Congress, the FDA announced today that they are in the process of reviewing how consumers use triclosan, an antibacterial agent used in soap and many other products. And while the FDA says it doesn’t have enough info to tell people not to use soaps containing triclosan, it also doesn’t see any evidence that adding triclosan to soap makes any difference. [More]