Food & Health

TreeHugger has been all over the evils of Triclosan and antimicrobial cleaners before, but with the scary new reports of schoolkids dying from infections from drug-resistant bacteria, the stuff is flying off the shelves as panicky parents dose their kids with it.

The New York Times notes that this could just be making the problem worse. "Some recent laboratory studies suggest that antibacterial products containing triclosan may not be the best way to stay clean. Instead of wiping out bacteria randomly, the way regular soap or alcohol-based products do, triclosan may inhibit the growth of bacteria in a way that leaves a larger proportion of resistant bacteria behind." They recommend instead "basic hygiene — washing hands or using alcohol-based sanitizers, keeping scrapes covered until healed and refraining from sharing personal items like towels and cosmetics." ::New York Times

Read more TreeHugger about how Triclosan is a gender bender, how it is in too many of the things that we use, and it doesn't even work.