Save the Frogs: Use Regular Soaps
Antibacterial soaps are bad for the environment. Learn more...
Kermit says, "Be clean but green!"
Antibacterial soaps were once used only in hospitals and health care centers, but now they're everywhere. We're a germ-fearing society, and those fears help sell soap filled with antibacterial ingredients, such as triclosan.
Triclosan is the active ingredient in many antibacterial soaps, deodorants and even toothpaste sold by name brands such as Neutrogena, Softsoap, Dial and Cetaphil.
But here's the problem with triclosan: Recent studies indicate that it acts as an endocrine disrupter. For instance, it's been found to hurry the transformation of tadpoles to frogs. And it's toxic to aquatic life in general.
Because the use of triclosan is so widespread in so many products, it's now found in about 60% of U.S. streams.
An additional concern is that the use of antibacterial soaps could fuel the growth of superbacteria, bacteria that are resistant to these and other chemicals used to combat germs.
Hey, germs aren't all bad. So please avoid the antibacterial soaps. They don't do a better job than natural soap and water in keeping us clean and healthy anyway.
