Soap as Effective as Antibacterial Hand-wash

Plain soap are just as effective as expensive antibacterial handwash, says study.

18:53 17 September 2015

Scientists at a Korean university found that expensive antibacterial handwash are no more effective than plain soap.

 

The scientists conducted a research to determine the effectiveness of triclosan, the most commonly used active antiseptic ingredient used in soap, against 20 bacteria strains in petri dishes including Campylobacter, Enterococcus, Escherichia, Listeria, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Shigella and Pseudomonas. The results were compared to the ability of antibacterial and non-antibacterial soap to remove bacteria from human hands using 16 healthy volunteers.

 

Dr Min-Suk Rhee at the Department of Food Bioscience and Technology said: “Hand washing with water and or soap is an important and inexpensive method for preventing the transmission of infection because it is effective at removing contaminants, including pathogenic bacteria or viruses, from hands.

 

“Nowadays, industry produces a variety of commercial soaps described as ‘antibacterial’ or ‘antimicrobial’.

 

“Antibacterial soap refers to soap containing ingredients with active antimicrobial activity; plain soap on the other hand contains no such ingredients.

 

“Triclosan has antibacterial activity against bacteria, fungi and viruses; indeed, there is little doubt that the compound has antimicrobial activity.

 

“However, the use of triclosan remains controversial because various adverse effects have been reported, including allergies, antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption, acute/chronic toxicity and bioaccumulation; one study even identified carcinogenic impurities.

 

“Also, the effectiveness of antibacterial soap has been inconclusive and questions remain about whether antibacterial soap is more effective than plain soap.

 

“There was no significant difference in bactericidal activity between plain soap and antibacterial soap at either test temperature.

 

“However, antibacterial soap showed significantly greater bactericidal effects after nine hours.

 

“These results suggest that although triclosan-containing soap does have antibacterial activity, the effects are not apparent during the short time required for hand washing.

 

“Antibacterial soap containing triclosan (0.3%) was no more effective than plain soap at reducing bacterial contamination when used under ‘real-life’ conditions.

 

“The present study provides practical information that may prove useful for both industry and governments.”