Friday, October 8, 2010

Good morning,

If you choose 'antibacterial' products because you think
they kill more germs, think again. According to recent
studies, antiseptic ingredients added to numerous products
are not effective and may actually be harmful.

In 2005, an FDA panel concluded that there is no added
benefit from using antimicrobial products over plain soap
and water. There's also toxicity to consider. One of the
most popular antimicrobials, the pesticide triclocarban
(TCC), defies water treatment methods.

Once it's flushed down drains, about 75 percent of TCC
makes it through treatments and it ends up in our surface
water and in municipal sludge. This sludge is regularly
applied to U.S. crop fields as a fertilizer, meaning the
chemical could potentially accumulate in our food.

So if it's not more helpful, and can even be harmful, why
bother with it? Scroll down to find out some alternatives.

Thanks for reading,

Your Living Green editor

Email the Editor


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* Many personal care products these days read off like
a chemistry lesson. Thankfully, there are plenty of more
natural alternatives like vegetarian soap.

* In most commercial soap making processes, at the end of
the process what's left is the basic soap product and
glycerine. The glycerine is a useful emollient and is often
sold separately as a moisturizer. This is rather ironic as
soap with glycerine removed can dry out your skin.

* Vegetarian soaps contain no animal products. They are
made with plant oils and natural fragrances only and the
glycerine is usually left in.

* Most brands of vegetarian soap are comparable in price to
larger name brands and in some cases they are even cheaper.