U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just banned use of 19 chemicals in antibacterial soaps.   These chemicals are added to hygiene products to lure cosumers to buy and use their products instead of ordinary soaps, which are actually no less effective than the antibacterial chemicals.  Studies have shown that ordinary soaps without antibacterials work as effectively as the antibacterial soaps.  There is no need for these chemicals to be present in soaps and other hygyene products.

Some chemicals like triclosan and triclocarban are known to be toxic, particularly to children.  Children often could not completely wash off the chemicals in soaps and then use their chemical-tainted bare hands to grab foods, which provides a route for the chemicals to get ingested.  

These chemicals and others that have not been proved to be safe should not be allowed to be used in the first place.   Reports say that the majority of chemicals have not been tested for their safety.  It is only when a chemical is found to be used in a product that research may be prompted to ingestigate its safety.

The banned chemicals are listed below.

Cloflucarban

Fluorosalan

Hexachlorophene

Hexylresorcinol

Iodine complex (ammonium ether sulfate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate)

Iodine complex (phosphate ester of alkylaryloxy polyethylene glycol)

Nonylphenoxypoly (ethyleneoxy) ethanoliodine

Poloxamer-iodine complex

Povidone-iodine 5 to 10 percent

Undecoylium chloride iodine complex

Methylbenzethonium chloride

Phenol (greater than 1.5 percent)

Phenol (less than 1.5 percent) 16

Secondary amyltricresols

Sodium oxychlorosene

Tribromsalan

Triclocarban

Triclosan

Triple dye