Antibacterials: Helpful or Harmful?

There are many antibacterial products on the market today. They all claim to kill 99.9% of germs. The main ingredient in these products is triclosan, which is an organic compound that acts as a broad spectrum antibacterial/antifungal agent. This means it kills all types of bacteria and fungi. There is some question about whether it really works to disinfect our household messes, because there are other ingredients in these products that may interfere with triclosan. If it does work, it may be causing issues for us in the future. If it doesn't, we're all wasting our money for a little false peace of mind.

Bacteria are single celled organisms. They are simple creatures, but they can cause us serious problems. The type of bacteria that live off of us are called mesophiles. They strive in moderate temperatures; our body's temperature, 98.6 degrees F, is ideal for them. But not all bacteria is harmful to us. Only about 10% of bacteria are pathogens, which means they are able to cause disease. We have bacteria living off of us all the time, they're called our "normal flora". They are helpful to us because they're territorial, and they fight off invading bacteria that may be harmful to us. Some people are "carriers" of certain harmful bacteria, and they pass it on to others through unwashed hands. Others are the unfortunate ones who are succeptible to these bacteria and become ill.

With all of this bacteria around us, no wonder we're buying all kinds of antibacterial products. We'd rather kill those germs before they invade our healthy immune systems. But that's the problem: we need those germs. Killing them off would be harmful to us. There is no way to prevent illness completely; we're all going to be ill at one time or another. Our immune systems need the work to stay "sharp", so we can build immunity to stay healthy. When we use antibacterial products for the short term peace of mind, we are only hurting ourselves.

If these products do actually work, and they are killing 99.9% of germs, what is happening to the germs left behind? Bacteria are living organisms striving to survive. They will evolve so they are able to live. They produce endospores to protect themselves from environmental stress. When they do this, they are resistant to UV and gamma radiation, temperature, starvation, and chemical disinfectants. They will "hibernate" like this for days, weeks, months, even many years, until the environment in which they strive to live is favorable again. Also, the bacteria that survive may mutate so their DNA becomes resistant to the chemicals we are using to kill them.

If these antibacterial products do not work, we are simply wasting our money on false promises. When I took Microbiology in college, we conducted a lab experiment with different cleaners. We soaked small discs of paper in Fantastic, Mr. Clean, Lysol, bleach, and Purel. After smearing an agar plate with bacteria, we placed the discs in different sections of the plate. When our experiment was over, we found that bacteria grew on all sections of the plate, except for the section where we placed the bleach. Some of my classmates were upset that they had been buying these products to disinfect their homes, and they didn't work in a simple lab experiment.

So what do we do? Soap and water is the best answer. Proper handwashing is essential to our health. Most bacteria come from our hands. They enter our bodies when we touch our eyes, mouths, and noses with unwashed hands. In fact, it's the #1 way we catch a cold.

If you want to disinfect your kitchen counter because you were cooking raw meat, use bleach or alcohol. As for the rest of your house, it's up to you to decide which products you will use, but remember that antibacterials are more harmful in more ways than one. If they do work, they may be producing more harmful bacteria that are resistant to chemicals we use to kill them. If they don't work, we are wasting our money on empty promises.