Vindication



Megan and I were right. Again.

This article from Beyond Pesticides proves that everything I've ever said about hand sanitizers is correct. They're not only totally ineffective, but their widespread use is going to create a super bug that will be totally resistant to all antibiotics. Check it:

Rolf Halden, Ph.D., an environmental scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says that the introduction of so many new anti-microbial products has not affected the rates of infectious disease in the United States. He points out that antibacterials don’t even kill the cold, flu, or intestinal illness viruses.

Also, alcohol-based products don’t kill bacteria with protective spores, including bacteria that cause a life-threatening type of diarrhea and colitis. “The money’s been spent, but the benefit is doubtful, or absent,” said Dr. Halden.

Compounding the danger of using antibacterial products, laboratory evidence suggests that use of these products could cause a stronger strain of bacteria to emerge—one that could resist conventional antibiotics.

Ohh, snap! Sounds like the good doctor agrees with me. Slathering that shit all over yourself is a total waste of your time. It's not protecting you from anything. More over, the article has some quite shocking information about the very harmful environmental effects of sanitizers:

More than ineffective, these products may be outright dangerous. Two common antibacterial ingredients—triclosan and its analog triclocarban—have been linked to numerous health and environmental effects. Triclosan depresses the central nervous system and is hypothermic. It is disposed into residential drains and is carried to streams and rivers, where it destroys aquatic ecosystems. Dr. Halden says that they [triclosan and triclocarban] may kill beneficial organisms in soil and waterways. Both of these chemicals have been found in breast milk, fish, and waterways.

Wellity, wellity, wellity.

We're right, you're wrong and now I have the science to prove it. Plain old soap and water is just fine for me.
- posted by Mason @ 11:43 PM