To summarize. the FDA discovered that after a decades long investigation, the benefits derived from this multi-billion dollar industry, do not significantly add value to our lives, more than normal soap and water.
I meet people regularly who swear by their practise of using some alcohol based antibacterial soaps, hoping to minimize their own exposure to the easy transference of bacteria and virus'.
With this 42 year study finally releasing their results, concerned users are realizing that common used door knobs, that multiple people touch daily have been a harbinger of diseases that are too easily transferred.
That is of course until they learn about the Serrature Meroni range of Combina and Pigio range of push/pull entry levers and knobs, that are specifically designed with anti-microbial surfaces that minimize the spread of colds and flu.
We are the North American distributors of the fabulous Nouveau and Ultra-Modern door entry products made by the highly respected European (Italian) manufacturer Serrature Meroni.
We maintain a relatively large inventory, in multiple color options of Nova, Forma, Combina and Pigio (1, 2 & 3) door hardware.
We will showcase some special quantities of Meroni Nova, passage, privacy and entry handlesets, in large quantaties and diverse color options.
The five reasons are...
1. Antibacterial soaps are no more effective than conventional soap and water. As mentioned in the announcement, 42 years of FDA research—along with countless independent studies—have produced no evidence that triclosan provides any health benefits as compared to old-fashioned soap.
“I suspect there are a lot of consumers who assume that by using an antibacterial soap product, they are protecting themselves from illness, protecting their families,” Sandra Kweder, deputy director of the FDA’s drug center, told the AP. “But we don’t have any evidence that that is really the case over simple soap and water.”
Manufacturers say they do have evidence of triclosan’s superior efficacy, but the disagreement stems from the use of different sorts of testing methods. Tests that strictly measure the number of bacteria on a person’s hands after use do show that soaps with triclosan kill slightly more bacteria than conventional ones.
But the FDA wants data that show that this translates into an actual clinical benefit, such as reduced infection rates. So far, analyses of the health benefits don’t show any evidence that triclosan can reduce the transmission of respiratory or gastrointestinal infections. This might be due to the fact that antibacterial soaps specifically target bacteria, but not the viruses that cause the majority of seasonal colds and flus.
2. Antibacterial soaps have the potential to create antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The reason that the FDA is making manufacturers prove these products’ efficacy is because of a range of possible health risks associated with triclosan, and bacterial resistance is first on the list.
Heavy use of antibiotics can cause resistance, which results from a small subset of a bacteria population with a random mutation that allows it to survive exposure to the chemical. If that chemical is used frequently enough, it’ll kill other bacteria, but allow this resistant subset to proliferate. If this happens on a broad enough scale, it can essentially render that chemical useless against the strain of bacteria.
This is currently a huge problem in medicine—the World Health Organization calls it a “threat to global health security.” Some bacteria species (most notably, MRSA) have even acquired resistance to several different drugs, complicating efforts to control and treat infections as they spread. Health officials say that further research is needed before we can say that triclosan is fueling resistance, but several studies have hinted at the possibility.
3. The soaps could act as endocrine disruptors. A number of studies have found that, in rats, frogs and other animals, triclosan appears to interfere with the body’s regulation of thyroid hormone, perhaps because it chemically resembles the hormone closely enough that it can bind to its receptor sites. If this is the case in humans, too, there are worries that it could lead to problems such as infertility, artificially-advanced early puberty, obesity and cancer.
These same effects haven’t yet been found in humans, but the FDA calls the animal studies “a concern”—and notes that, given the minimal benefits of long-term triclosan use, it’s likely not worth the risk.
