I try to avoid buying any soap, dishwashing soap, etc. that is labeled as “antibacterial”. And let me tell you, it has become more and more difficult to find products that don’t contain Microban or another antibacterial solution.
In a study by Aiello, et al. (2007), the authors reviewed 27 studies on the use of antibacterial soap versus regular soap. The study concluded that regular soap was just as effective as antibacterial soap in preventing infectious disease symptoms and reducing the amount of bacteria on the hands. In addition, the authors found that there is potential risk for drug-resistant bacteria due to the use of antibacterial products.
I bought a new water dispenser for the pups – one of the big automatically refillable kind. And I saw a sticker on it that said it was treated with Microban. There weren’t any non-Microban options available. Toby and Lucy refused to drink from it. Toby gave me a look of, “Dear woman, what are you trying to do to us?” I eventually found the same style of water dispenser, without the Microban. The pups were totally okay with it.
Reference: Aiello, A.E., Larson, E.L., & Levy, S.B. (2007). Consumer antibacterial soaps: Effective or just risky? Clinical Infectious Diseases, 45:S137–S147.
