Antibacterial Products Cause Neurological Problems

In the quest for more business, the perfume industry has moved us along from buying perfume to buying fragranced products to wash our bodies, clothes, and dishes, to buying fragranced products to treat indoor air. Air fresheners, potpourri and scented candles, which only contribute to chemical air pollution, are selling like "hot cakes." A study found that 80% of adults are buying such products. And the chemical companies have moved us from soap cleaners to detergent (chemical) cleaners to anti-bacterial chemical cleaners--increasing the number of combined chemical ingredients in our every day products to hundreds.

The May 5, 1997, Pasadena Star-News ran an interesting article about someone who became chronically ill from low level exposure to every day chemical products. In February of 1996, Ruth Niemeyer began experiencing neurological problems. Her hands felt shaky, she had pains in her arms and legs, and she could no longer take walks. An internist diagnosed her with hypothyroidism. Then she went to an ophthalmologist because her vision was blurred. She was diagnosed with migraines. Then she saw an acupuncturist and took Chinese herbs. She also saw a nutritionist and a neurologist. If this sounds familiar to you, read on.

It wasn't until the following September during a trip to Boston that she finally made the connection between all the antibacterial products she was using at home, the dish and hand soaps, sponges, kitchen cleaners, and her illness. She wasn't sick when she was in Boston. After throwing out her anti-bacterial products, "all but 5% of her symptoms are gone." One researcher commented that she could have had an allergic reaction while another researcher commented that there could have been enough of the anti-bacterial chemical (usually the pesticide triclosan) to actually give her a toxic reaction. She has heard from several other people who were having the same kind of problems that she did. The article ends with her statement "I never would have dreamed that soap could make me feel that bad." I frequently hear from people who are made ill by such products.

The anti-bacterial chemical triclosan is in such products as sponges, dish soaps, cleaners, shaving creams, toothpaste, socks, shoes, and children's toys. It has become the latest fad chemical. Subway ads which say: "You are the 423rd person to touch that pole today" tend to scare people, big time, about germs. But we do not need to be that afraid of germs. In fact, the same Pasadena Star-News article about Ruth Niemeyer warned that these products won't kill all the germs on your skin and they might add to the problem of bacterial resistance. The experts in the article related that washing hands with regular soaps "lower[s] the surface tension of water and allows it to get down around the follicle and down into the crevices of the hand. Regular soaps do take care of about 99 percent of the unwanted bacteria."

The Pasadena Star-News article carried an insert from the Daily Camera, Boulder, Colorado newspaper on how best to wash your hands. The key is to wash frequently. That means after you go to the bathroom, change a diaper, sneeze, cough or blow your nose, take care of someone who's sick, or play with a pet, and before you prepare or eat food. Make sure you are particularly meticulous during cold and flu season and try to keep your hands away from your mouth and face.

Use soap and lather thoroughly (between 30 and 60 seconds) making sure you scrub all surfaces including the backs of your hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails. Then it's important to rinse your hands in warm water, which produces a better lather. While the water is running, dry your hands and use a dry area of the paper towel or towel to turn the water off so you don't recontaminate your hands.

The book Clean & Green tells how to clean just about anything with vinegar, borax, Bon Ami, baking soda, and some other nontoxic things. The author states that vinegar kills bacteria, mold, and germs. Annie Berthold-Bond shared in an article for Our Toxic Times that Michael Mullen, Heinz company spokesperson, referenced "numerous studies to show that a straight 5 percent solution of vinegar--such as you can buy in the supermarket--kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold and 80 percent of germs (viruses)." She recommends that you "Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board, and in your bathroom, and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed and let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off." Of course grain and mold sensitive people have to be cautious using vinegar.

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