- Apr 14, 2001
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Anti-Bacterial Soaps Lacking, Girl Scouts Claim
ST. PAUL (May 2) - Members of Girl Scout Troop 2173 have a message for households: Those anti-bacterial products you use to clean your home aren't all they're cracked up to be. The girls spent two years investigating whether products that claim to be anti-bacterial actually are.
In the end, they concluded household anti-bacterial soap kills 99.6 percent of germs if used long enough - but regular soap kills 99.4 percent of germs.
"People get tricked into thinking it kills all the bacteria," said 11-year-old Emma Burnham, who said that in the mid-1990s, the anti-bacterial products were marketed to parents who wanted to keep their children safer.
The idea for the project came about after Hannah Nesser, now 11, tried using an anti-bacterial soap to clean up spores she cultured for a third-grade science fair. She found that instead of dying, some of the bacteria actually grew.
Nesser and her Girl Scout troop began researching the anti-bacterial cleaners to earn a Bronze Award - the Junior Girl Scout equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
The Girl Scouts say that the household anti-bacterial products are an advertising ploy, and that by not killing all bacteria, could actually create super-germs that will pose a threat to public health. They say they have evidence proving that triclosan, the active agent in most anti-bacterial products, is a potential health hazard.
They met with lawmakers, and Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, submitted a bill on the girls' behalf that seeks to ban the anti-bacterial products. The girls were heading to the Capitol on Monday to present their research to the Minnesota Senate Commerce Committee.
"They're very serious about this and they've done their homework better than a lot of lobbyists at the Capitol do," Anderson said, "and I'm serious."
As part of their research, the girls collected water from Lake Como and samples from surfaces in their school that were likely collection points for bacteria.
They used special chemicals to grow the bacteria samples, testing their resistance to different levels of soap containing triclosan.
They also reviewed research from the University of Minnesota and conducted experiments at the Science Museum.
While not expected to pass, their proposed ban would have a tremendous impact on retailers. Triclosan is contained in 75 percent of household gel soaps and in many types of toothpaste, in addition to dish soap and other cleansers.
Scientists already have debated whether triclosan contributes to antibiotic resistance, which is a public health problem because most bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics.
Some studies agree with the scouts, while others defend triclosan, said Pat Cleary, a microbiology professor at the University of Minnesota.
He said a ban on household anti-bacterial products is too extreme, but agreed such products are overused.
Some bacteria actually help keep people healthy and strengthen natural immune systems, he said.
"I would kind of agree with the Girl Scouts," Cleary said. "The idea that you can keep people healthy by keeping people absolutely clean is foolish. It just doesn't work that way."
Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com
ST. PAUL (May 2) - Members of Girl Scout Troop 2173 have a message for households: Those anti-bacterial products you use to clean your home aren't all they're cracked up to be. The girls spent two years investigating whether products that claim to be anti-bacterial actually are.
In the end, they concluded household anti-bacterial soap kills 99.6 percent of germs if used long enough - but regular soap kills 99.4 percent of germs.
"People get tricked into thinking it kills all the bacteria," said 11-year-old Emma Burnham, who said that in the mid-1990s, the anti-bacterial products were marketed to parents who wanted to keep their children safer.
The idea for the project came about after Hannah Nesser, now 11, tried using an anti-bacterial soap to clean up spores she cultured for a third-grade science fair. She found that instead of dying, some of the bacteria actually grew.
Nesser and her Girl Scout troop began researching the anti-bacterial cleaners to earn a Bronze Award - the Junior Girl Scout equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
The Girl Scouts say that the household anti-bacterial products are an advertising ploy, and that by not killing all bacteria, could actually create super-germs that will pose a threat to public health. They say they have evidence proving that triclosan, the active agent in most anti-bacterial products, is a potential health hazard.
They met with lawmakers, and Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, submitted a bill on the girls' behalf that seeks to ban the anti-bacterial products. The girls were heading to the Capitol on Monday to present their research to the Minnesota Senate Commerce Committee.
"They're very serious about this and they've done their homework better than a lot of lobbyists at the Capitol do," Anderson said, "and I'm serious."
As part of their research, the girls collected water from Lake Como and samples from surfaces in their school that were likely collection points for bacteria.
They used special chemicals to grow the bacteria samples, testing their resistance to different levels of soap containing triclosan.
They also reviewed research from the University of Minnesota and conducted experiments at the Science Museum.
While not expected to pass, their proposed ban would have a tremendous impact on retailers. Triclosan is contained in 75 percent of household gel soaps and in many types of toothpaste, in addition to dish soap and other cleansers.
Scientists already have debated whether triclosan contributes to antibiotic resistance, which is a public health problem because most bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics.
Some studies agree with the scouts, while others defend triclosan, said Pat Cleary, a microbiology professor at the University of Minnesota.
He said a ban on household anti-bacterial products is too extreme, but agreed such products are overused.
Some bacteria actually help keep people healthy and strengthen natural immune systems, he said.
"I would kind of agree with the Girl Scouts," Cleary said. "The idea that you can keep people healthy by keeping people absolutely clean is foolish. It just doesn't work that way."
Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com