It starts with a single case that makes headlines in the news. An unknown superbug virus with alarming symptoms breaks out not in some small village in India or Africa, but in a small American town in Kansas. Many citizens of first world countries may be especially alarmed at this news because most breakouts occur in third world countries where people are assumed dirty and malnourished. Additionally, developed countries practice good hygiene and use antibacterial products so that should be enough to keep the virus away right? Wrong. In actuality, this practice may lead to a worse case altogether as such products can be the cause of outbreaks, much less the remedy. Soap infused with supposedly bacteria killing agents have only arisen in consumption in the last fifty to one hundred years at most. Statistics now show that such products take up around 70% of the shelf space in stores.1 Despite this drastic increase in antibacterial soap products on the market today and contrary to common belief, studies have yet to show that such products significantly decrease bacteria concentrations any more than regular soap. Instead, research suggests that ingredients in antibacterial products lead to problems such as viral and bacterial resistance and hormonal problems.
Antibacterial products range from anything like hand soaps and lotions to sanitizers and household cleaners. It is important to look at the etymology of the word antibacterial. As a prefix, anti means against, so the word literally means “against bacteria”, or “against germs” as marketers of such products want consumers to believe. The truth in this descriptive word will be reviewed later. The ingredients used in these products fall into two categories, non-residue producing ...
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...ated danger due to the use of such products. The data supportive of antibacterial products’ beneficial effects is very weak, especially when compared to products without biocides. So while the data may not be good enough for a scientific conclusion, it is clear enough to draw the conclusion that the benefits do not outweigh the costs. Biocides such as triclosan need to be more closely monitored and controlled by the FDA, if not banned altogether. Even though they may be harmless at low concentrations, the long-term and abundant use without limit poses a risk that could harm people and nature alike on a global scale. Plain soaps and other products made of all natural ingredients accomplish the same objective as antibacterial products without the many adverse effects. Consumers should know the facts and use these products as has been safely done for generations.
Nestle, Marion. Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2003.
Germaphobes beware: the next incurable global epidemic is already here and, to make matters worse, you may unknowingly come in daily contact with it. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA, is the villain of Maryn McKenna’s book, a terrifying tale of the negative consequences of modern medicine. It’s the kind of book that keeps you awake at night, itching to read the next chapter- and worried you could become infected. Through vivid case studies and scary scientific evidence about what appears to be an unbeatable pathogen, McKenna’s book, Superbug, is one that will make you afraid to step foot in a hospital ever again.
Scoffield, H. (2011, October 03). Ottawa to review safety of key ingredient in anti-bacterial soaps. The
The natural components of antibiotics have been used as local remedies long before humans understood the reasons why these sometimes-radical treatments worked. Penicillin became the first manufactured antibiotic after physician Alexander Fleming published articles regarding this bacteria-disabling mold in 1928. Come 1932, penicillin was commonly used to treat infected war injuries, saving the lives of unnumbered soldiers (Lewis). Since then, penicillin has b...
Compounding all of these solutions, the pharmaceutical industry needs to conduct extensive research on developing new antibiotics for various pathogenic bacteria by studying the bacterial structure. This will help scientists to formulate ways of counteracting the functions of the various constituents of bacteria.
. Many doctors and patients are unaware that antibiotics are designed to treat bacterial infections, not viral infections (Antibiotic resistance, N.D.). Many bacteria within our bodies are not harmful at all, and some of them actually provide health benefits. The bacteria that are harmful are disease-causing bacteria, which generate sicknesses such as strep throat, the common cold, and ear infections (Get, 2013). Viruses are smaller than bacteria and require hosts, such as plants or animals, in order to proliferate (What, N.D.). Doctors play a vital role in administering antibiotics, for patients rely on their knowledge and expertise in order to receive proper medication for ailments throughout their lives. According to www.acponline.org, 190 million doses of antibiotics are administered every day. Among patients that do not reside in hospitals, doctors prescribe more than 133 million antibiotic programs every year. Of those 133 million programs, it is estimated that over 50 percent of them are unnecessarily prescribed because the doctor is prescribing them for viral infections such as common colds or simple coughs (Antibiotic resistance, N.D.). However, doctors are not the only ones to blame in regard to misuse of antibiotics because their patients are just as guilty when it comes to ignorance in respect to antibiotic usage. Many preventable factors have emerged because of irresponsibility of patients, including self-medication practices and the temptations of cheap, counterfeit drugs, all of which have aggravated drug resistance in the last 20 years (What, N.D.). Also, many patients are unaware of the dangers that can result from leaving medication behind because they don’t use it. It is extremely ill-advised to leave behind eve...
our everyday lives bacteria is constantly surrounding us, some of the bacterium that we encounter are beneficial to us but then there are the ones that are severely detrimental to our health. The way that they effect a persons body can differ from person to person. Many of the “microscopic foes” are very resilient and have a very fast reproduction rate. Not only do they reproduce quickly they sometimes seem to outsmart our immune system and not allow our bodies to fight the infection making it almost impossible to stop them. One thing that a lot if people rely on is the assistance of prescription drugs to get them better but even the drugs are not being effective and we can’t stop the pathogens from invading our personal places such as work, home, school, or anywhere. Even though modern medicine is advancing the pathogens could still get the get the best of us. The scary thing is we never know when the next pandemic or epidemic is going to arise. All it needs is some ordinary microbe to swap genes with a deadly germ to produce a “super pathogen” and it could happen to anyone, anywhere, as it did to Jeannie Brown who is from “our neck of the woods”.
The discovery of antibiotics is attributed to Alexander Fleming who discovered the first antibiotic to be commercially used (Penicillin) in approximately 1928. An antibiotic, also known as an antimicrobial, is a medication that is taken in order to either destroy or slow the growth rate of bacteria. Antibiotics are integral to the success of many medical practises, such as; surgical procedures, organ transplants, the treatment of cancer and the treatment of the critically ill. (Ramanan Laxminarayan, 2013)
There are many ingredients found in sunscreen that are actually harmful for the environment. The most harmful chemical is oxybenzone; It alters coral DNA, increases risk of potential fatal bleaching and acts as an endocrine disruptor. [12] The damaging effects of oxybenzone can come from as small a concentration as 62 parts per trillion. Oxybenzone along with octinoxate and butylparaben cause viral diseases in the algae accountable for feeding coral reefs, which prompts to the decreasing of regenerative capacities in fish species. Algae is what gives coral reefs life and coral reefs are home to 25% of fish species so if the algae dies, so do the species. Oxybenzone can be distinguished in urine following 30 minutes of anointment, so flushing
Detergent comes from the Latin word detergere meaning to clean, it is defined as a cleansing agent. Therefore, water itself is a detergent. This essay looks at soap and soapless (or synthetic) detergents. Both substances we use everyday and have a big market commercially, they effect everyone. Soaps are made from natural products and soapless detergents are produced chemically, each having advantages and disadvantages.
This 1899 advertisement for Pears ' Soap came from the poem written by the British novelist Robert Kipling, who wrote about the ideas of White Man’s Burden. The artists and the company were both clearly behind the idea with American Imperialism. The image was used to help make America jump in the bandwagon to step in where the Europeans left off and bring civilization to the uncivilized parts of the world.
Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Governments all over the world are intensifying their efforts to improve food safety. Food borne illnesses are diseases, usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion of food. “In industrialized countries, the percentage of people suffering from food borne diseases each year has been reported to be up to 30%. In the United States of America, for example, around 76 million cases of food borne diseases, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, are estimated to occur each year.” (Geneva 2)
It is a sorrowful reality that due to the general unsanitary conditions, disease, health, and bacteria are getting worse and worse by the minute. Society has become one that is walking in the midst of unnecessary filth, having their disease ridden kids touching everything in the house. Contaminating every possible object in sight. Contributing to the problem of bacteria and disease being spread and not killed. Millions of people suffer from this unsanitary problem, and instead of doing something about it they continue to live their abstracted lives without caring about the dangers of not being sanitary. This could go on forever. Look where the Swine Flu has taken America. It should still be isolated to Mexico, but with all of the Mexicans jumping the boarder in their unsanitary demeanor, the disease was bound to spread into our beloved country. This does not surprise me, and before our nation knows it, the Chinese will be bringing over the bird Flu, our wine will be disease ridden from the Italians stomping their dirty feet in it, Germany with their mad cow outbreak will be shipping ...
Antibiotic is another word that contains the root bio but shows how different prefixes and suffixes can greatly alter a word's meaning. The medical definition for antibiotic is “a drug that is used to kill harmful bacteria and to cure infections”. (Merriam) However it can be broken into anti meaning “against” and biotic meaning “pertaining to life”. Against life? As simple as it sounds, it is correct. An antibiotic fights against microorganisms or small forms of life such as
It is time, at last, to speak the truth about toxic chemicals behind personal care and beauty products. The daily products of an average person consists of face wash, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, floss, toothpaste, and deodorant. Surprisingly, all of these products listed contain toxic chemicals that are harmful to our body. If we use these products to maintain our hygiene, does that mean we are not clean without these products? For example, a common shampoo many people use is Head and Shoulders. However, do we know if the shampoo is cleaning our hair from beginning to end or is it damaging our hair? How often do you read the ingredients labeled on your personal care products and wonder if they are safe to use? More importantly, if you