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FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed from Consumer Soaps

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Re: FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed from Consumer Soaps

#41

Post by Retric »

enave wrote: post #31
okreallywtf wrote: post #10

I hope its not too little too late, we've known about bacterial resistance for decades at this point. Here is hoping animal feed is next.

You have a common misconception. Antibacterial soaps don't cause bacterial resistance. Antibiotics do, but that's because antibiotics must selectively kill bacteria while inside the human body and without harming human cells. Antibacterial doesn't really have a precise medical definition, but in practice they're dilute antiseptics. In many centuries of use, bacteria have not developed resistance to antiseptics. There…

Antibacterial soaps end up in very dilute concentrations and are used dramatically more than they used to. Sure, these soaps don't use Antibiotics, but having a wide range of Antibacterial substances that continue to work and can be applied to your skin is very useful.

Remember, an autoclave or UV lamp work fine to keep stuff sterile, but they are not safe to put your hand in / under.

Re: FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed from Consumer Soaps

#42

Post by mratzloff »

djschnei wrote: post #33

I guess I'm weird; I have no idea why the government has the ability to dictate what is and isn't in the soap that I choose to buy. I agree however, anti-bacterial soap is silly. Looks like a lot of people here agree. Looks like a market segment to me. Didn't need a gun, theft, or a jail cell to create it.

It contributes to antibacterial resistance, which is a shared good. It's a case of the tragedy of the commons, which the free market is incapable of moderating on its own. This is exactly the kind of thing the government should be doing.

Re: FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed from Consumer Soaps

#43

Post by jowiar »

djschnei wrote: post #33

I guess I'm weird; I have no idea why the government has the ability to dictate what is and isn't in the soap that I choose to buy. I agree however, anti-bacterial soap is silly. Looks like a lot of people here agree. Looks like a market segment to me. Didn't need a gun, theft, or a jail cell to create it.

"I have no idea why" seems like a good place to start doing some research. In short (and as mentioned elsewhere in this thread), "the soap you choose to buy" may affect the ecosystem we live in. In particular, the bacteria that may infect us. When products on the market cause a public health concern, it is absolutely within the purview of government to regulate said products.

Re: FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed from Consumer Soaps

#44

Post by epistasis »

mrfusion wrote: post #14

It seems weird they get out in front of these ingridients but let bpa slide for decades which has documented harm.

I too am interested in this documentation. I'm aware of concerns going back over more than a decade, when somebody stopped me in the grocery store to warn me about the BPA in plastic liners in a can of crushed tomatoes. Since then I've kept an eye on the situation. This has turned up plenty of concerns, and a lot of "folk" documentation of harm.

However, I haven't seen relevant scientific documentation that would indicate that the FDA should act. If there is some documentation, there should be a lawsuit to force the FDA to act. There are plenty of interested watchdog groups that would fund something like that.

If you can provide that, I'm getting on the phone today to start lobbying.

Re: FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed from Consumer Soaps

#45

Post by joecool1029 »

solipsism wrote: post #19
mrfusion wrote: post #14

It seems weird they get out in front of these ingridients but let bpa slide for decades which has documented harm.

Documented harm? Come on, stop making things up. There are hints at correlations between BPA exposure and adverse health effects. There are animal studies with extremely high doses. But there is no direct evidence of adverse health effects on any humans caused by BPA.

I don't see why you're getting downvoted. He made a claim without evidence. I've also been unable to locate studies documenting an observed risk to humans.

Re: FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed from Consumer Soaps

#46

Post by Vraxx »

Kenji wrote: post #34

I love how the FDA shifts the burden of proof to the product makers. You now have to prove that your product works. It's not the state that has to prove that your product is harmful to ban it. I can't agree with this order, but it's just another case of classic FDA behaviour. I would like to live in a world where you have to show that something is bad before it gets banned. Not just a feeling, or that it doesn't work…

It's already proven that it's harmful. In the same that that overprescribing antibiotics is harmful. It artificially selects for bacteria resistant to these chemicals, which makes them less effective. So the ball was back in the maker's court, either show that this product is worth the risk or shut up and deal with the ban.

Re: FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed from Consumer Soaps

#48

Post by nsaslideface »

djschnei wrote: post #33

I guess I'm weird; I have no idea why the government has the ability to dictate what is and isn't in the soap that I choose to buy. I agree however, anti-bacterial soap is silly. Looks like a lot of people here agree. Looks like a market segment to me. Didn't need a gun, theft, or a jail cell to create it.

The FDA must regulate the contents of some consumable goods; can you provide a better model of governance than the current one which dictates where the line is to what the FDA can or cannot regulate? Or even a more philosophical explanation as to why we should instinctively distrust the current model without any examination into its basis, as seems to be your implication?

Re: FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed from Consumer Soaps

#49

Post by fastball »

ythl wrote: post #2

Good. It's pointless to disinfect and reinfect your hands so many times in a day. Soap should be used to make lipids and other grime water-soluble. That's it. If you need to sterilize your hands, then you should use a separate product dedicated to that because chances are you are a doctor. Not sterilizing your hands all the time is actually good (in most cases) because it allows your body to sample the latest and gre…

What about cooking? e.g. handling raw meat and such?

Re: FDA Orders Antibacterials Removed from Consumer Soaps

#50

Post by davesque »

koolba wrote: post #26

What about hand sanitizers? Should we not be using those as well or is limited usage ( say keeping a bottle in the car for use before you scarf down a McDouble ) ok?

It mentions that in the article. They're doing a separate review process for alcohol-based products.
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