Experts Refute Anti-Bacterial Soap Claims

Experts have informed a government panel that anti-bacterial soaps do not provide any advantage over regular soap in preventing illness. The FDA has raised concerns however that these soaps may give rise to more resistant strains of bacteria.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Anti-bacterial soaps and body washes in the household aren't any more effective in reducing illness than regular soap, and could potentially contribute to bacterial resistance to antibiotics, experts told a government advisory panel Thursday.

The independent panel, the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee, advises the Food and Drug Administration. Panelists were to vote later Thursday whether they believed such soaps provided any benefits above regular soap for people outside of health care.

The FDA is not bound by their decisions but often follows their advice. The agency has the authority to add warning labels to or restrict the availability of such soaps and related items, but it has given no indication any such ruling is imminent.
Does it work?

I had honestly not really thought about the differences between soaps and antibacterials, so this article was very educational (soaps - separate bacteria from the skin down the drain, antibacterials - kill the bacteria.) The article did a good job of showing how the independent expert panel was butting heads a bit with the antibacterial soap industry as well as themselves concerning nuances of the facts. Here were the two examples I found of some contradiction:

Both kinds of soaps reduced infections in households, but neither one worked better than the other, experts told the panel.

The experts also wondered whether antibacterials may provide added benefit to some people who are particularly at risk for certain illnesses.

And this pair of excerpts:

FDA officials and panelists raised concerns about whether the antibacterials contribute to the growth of drug-resistant bacteria...

He acknowledged that a yearlong study showed that homes using antibacterial soaps did not show an increase in resistant bacteria in significant numbers

I was relieved to learn, none the less, that the alcohol-based hand cleansers are not necessarily antibacterial and not part of this controversy. Last weekend we visited the petting zoo at our local pumpkin patch - it was handy to have the cleanser to wash off a bit since the hand washing station was a long walk away.

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maybe they should get sets of petri dishs with bacteria
then
compare whether the regular soap or the anti-bacterial product works best

-> the way I see it....there is a giant variable in their test->
... the people who used the 2 products being compared....

perhaps the one test group/family had a propensity to scratch, had a dirty environment, engaged in unsanitary practices thus contaminating their hands...even after washing with diligence & gusto.

imho...the tests, results & opinions were just an exercise in futility....

a bunch of 'make work' which is supposed to impress the public that the staffs and the bureaucratic tax-payer supported agencies which the FDA relies upon for guidance...are BUSY keeping the public Safe.....

sheeze, give me $50K to do a 'study'...
(was this, in actuality, a pork-barrel project ?? for some Congressional district Corporation???)

You know FredT I never like those anti bacterial soaps at all, my daughter got so addicted to them that she will no got out of the house without one littler carry on bottle in her purse.

She and my husband are clean freaks when it comes to keeping their hands clean.

I always said that the ones that get sick are the ones that tried to avoid the sickness the most.

To avoid bacterias and viruses you will have to get yourself inside a plastic bubble.

In school I was taught whether anti-bacterial or not, it's all about friction, time, good rinsing without unneccessary touching (the edge of the sink, the other hand while rinsing, etc. (15+ seconds of scrubbing), and don't forget your wrists. Further more, the Cida rinse that is in every hospital here since SARS is only just as good as a good handwashing, provide you have no visable contaimination or dirt. So why waste money on this research when such things are obviously already known and being taught? Do people need to hear "experts" or "research study"?