Earlier quoted context omitted.
> may or may not work That's not accurate. It does work, as in, it does kill bacteria. The question is if this killing has any value. i.e. does it actually prevent illness. It's pretty clear that in a hospital or nursing home setting triclosan is worth it. It's not so clear if it's worth it in the home. Then there is a secondary question of does it cause resistance in the bacteria, which then causes it to be less eff…
> > may or may not work > That's not accurate. It does work, as in, it does kill bacteria. It's known to work in vitro, and it's known to work in toothpaste. It sounds like there is no body of evidence to indicate that it works in things like hand soaps. Considering how often agents like this are found to work under one set of circumstances and not under another, I'd say that suggests that whether the agent works for…
Even if it does work (as in kill bacteria) on the hand, that doesn't mean it works (as in prevents illness).
And in medical settings it's yet another question: does it work (as in prevent the spread of bacteria), even if it doesn't prevent illness.
You have to be careful about what your goal is.