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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
Still Strictly Germ-Proof
A look at antibacterials, really old poetry, and
Triclosan. Enjoy!
Over at MacRaven, Dave Haxton has been talking
about germs. More specifically, ways to fight them,
and whether they actually have any overall effect. It seems that doctors are
uncertain of the actual benefits of anti-bacterial products such as soaps, and
are saying that there's a possibility such products may only lead to stronger,
more antibiotic resistant microbes. Read about the FDA discussion at CNN.com.
It reminded me, first and foremost, of a poem I read as a child. I don't know if anyone else reading this grew up with the hunormous "Prose and Poetry" books; I think we had three of them -- a blue one, a red one, and a green one. As near as I can remember, this poem was in the green volume:
Strictly Germ-proof
The Antiseptic Baby and the Prophylactic Pup
Were playing in the garden when the Bunny gamboled up;
They looked upon the Creature with a loathing undisguised;—
It wasn't Disinfected and it wasn't Sterilized.
They said it was a Microbe and a Hotbed of Disease;
They steamed it in a vapor of a thousand-odd degrees;
They froze it in a freezer that was cold as Banished Hope
And washed it in permanganate with carbolated soap.
In sulphurated hydrogen they steeped its wiggly ears;
They trimmed its frisky whiskers with a pair of hard-boiled shears;
They donned their rubber mittens and they took it by the hand
And elected it a member of the Fumigated Band.
There's not a Micrococcus in the garden where they play;
They bathe in pure iodoform a dozen times a day;
And each imbibes his rations from a Hygienic Cup—
The Bunny and the Baby and the Prophylactic Pup.*
Arthur Guiterman wrote that almost a hundred years ago, and the situation has only gotten worse. Today we're even more paranoid about these invisible critters than we were then, and we have more dangerous tools to fight them.
Antibacterial soaps are only one weapon in this vast, dangerous arsenal. Toothpastes touted as "Total Protection" contain an active substance known as Triclosan, which is considered an antibacterial by the FDA, but as a broad-range pesticide by the EPA. Triclosan kills every germ that comes in contact with it, and being an unthinking killing machine, doesn't discriminate between good bacteria (in the mouth or elsewhere) and bad bacteria. Chemically speaking, it's a possible carrier of dioxins, a range of chemicals well-known for their ability to cause cancer, infertility, birth defects, and damage to the skin (Agent Orange was a well-known chemical contaminated with dioxins). Here's a fact sheet at BeyondPesticides.org, which includes a partial list of products containing Triclosan. In Norway and Sweden, experts are warning those who may be pregnant to avoid toothpastes containing Triclosan.
Is the cure worse than the disease? What ARE we putting in our mouths? The FDA hasn't forbidden non-prescription use of Triclosan because of no overt link to any illnesses. Is that good enough? Between possibly helping to breed stronger bacteria and the harm we may be doing to ourselves in the process, is there any justification for such tactics?
Now this advisory panel is telling the FDA that they don't even believe that the use of anti-bacterial elements in the home works. What are we risking our health over?
*Due to the age of the poem, I believe it to be outside copyright limitations. Reprinting here is not for monetary gain, and the blogger for Asahel's Search For Meaning in no way claims this content as his own.
It reminded me, first and foremost, of a poem I read as a child. I don't know if anyone else reading this grew up with the hunormous "Prose and Poetry" books; I think we had three of them -- a blue one, a red one, and a green one. As near as I can remember, this poem was in the green volume:
Strictly Germ-proof
The Antiseptic Baby and the Prophylactic Pup
Were playing in the garden when the Bunny gamboled up;
They looked upon the Creature with a loathing undisguised;—
It wasn't Disinfected and it wasn't Sterilized.
They said it was a Microbe and a Hotbed of Disease;
They steamed it in a vapor of a thousand-odd degrees;
They froze it in a freezer that was cold as Banished Hope
And washed it in permanganate with carbolated soap.
In sulphurated hydrogen they steeped its wiggly ears;
They trimmed its frisky whiskers with a pair of hard-boiled shears;
They donned their rubber mittens and they took it by the hand
And elected it a member of the Fumigated Band.
There's not a Micrococcus in the garden where they play;
They bathe in pure iodoform a dozen times a day;
And each imbibes his rations from a Hygienic Cup—
The Bunny and the Baby and the Prophylactic Pup.*
Arthur Guiterman wrote that almost a hundred years ago, and the situation has only gotten worse. Today we're even more paranoid about these invisible critters than we were then, and we have more dangerous tools to fight them.
Antibacterial soaps are only one weapon in this vast, dangerous arsenal. Toothpastes touted as "Total Protection" contain an active substance known as Triclosan, which is considered an antibacterial by the FDA, but as a broad-range pesticide by the EPA. Triclosan kills every germ that comes in contact with it, and being an unthinking killing machine, doesn't discriminate between good bacteria (in the mouth or elsewhere) and bad bacteria. Chemically speaking, it's a possible carrier of dioxins, a range of chemicals well-known for their ability to cause cancer, infertility, birth defects, and damage to the skin (Agent Orange was a well-known chemical contaminated with dioxins). Here's a fact sheet at BeyondPesticides.org, which includes a partial list of products containing Triclosan. In Norway and Sweden, experts are warning those who may be pregnant to avoid toothpastes containing Triclosan.
Is the cure worse than the disease? What ARE we putting in our mouths? The FDA hasn't forbidden non-prescription use of Triclosan because of no overt link to any illnesses. Is that good enough? Between possibly helping to breed stronger bacteria and the harm we may be doing to ourselves in the process, is there any justification for such tactics?
Now this advisory panel is telling the FDA that they don't even believe that the use of anti-bacterial elements in the home works. What are we risking our health over?
*Due to the age of the poem, I believe it to be outside copyright limitations. Reprinting here is not for monetary gain, and the blogger for Asahel's Search For Meaning in no way claims this content as his own.
Posted: Fri - October 21, 2005 at 09:13 PM