Some people are so obsessed with their irrational fear of germs that they are overusing antibacterial hand sanitizer. Is this paranoia helping to create antibiotic immune bacteria? Will this cause the emergence of more powerful and deadly bacteria in the future?
2007-02-09 04:20:34 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Other - General Health Care
I watched a show on one of the documentary channels recently. A panel of Doctors discussed this issue. The general consecus was that it was making bigger and better bugs. They convinced me that having this soap in the home is not a good idea. My wife and I decided we would get rid of what we had and not buy any more of the stuff.
The problem, as I see it, is if only a few continue to use it the germs will still get stronger. That is to say, a few people stopping won't have a significant imapct, everyone would have to cooperate in this. It would be similar to one person not driving and expecting the pollution levels to drop. I just can't see it happening.
2007-02-09 05:17:20 · answer #1 · answered by gimpalomg 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
FWIW, most of the hand sanitizers I'm familiar with have alcohol in some form as the major active ingredient, and none contain antibiotics. The alcohol works as a disinfectant but is not antibiotic in the same sense that drugs like penicillin does. So hand sanitizers don't and can't lead to antibiotic immunity.
What can, and what we rightly should be concerned about, are all the antibiotics that are prescribed whenever anyone gets the sniffles, and the millions of pounds of antibiotics that are used by the cattle feeding and poultry industries to counteract the conditions in which feeder animals are now being raised. Both of these issues need to be addressed, because there are now many antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria.
2007-02-09 04:32:27 · answer #2 · answered by Karin C 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Overuse Of Hand Sanitizer
2016-11-13 02:33:00 · answer #3 · answered by dorval 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah it does to some extent. most sanitizers use alcohol as the sterilizer not antibiotics (which they wont become resistant to), and when they are used there are only a couple antibiotics (triclosan is about the only one i ever see) used in soap though and they arent really used much in medicine so its not that big of deal if bacteria become resisitant to those drugs. the bigger problem is people overusing antibiotics, and putting medically valuable antibiotics in cattle feed and stuff to healthy cattle just to prevent infections
2007-02-09 04:47:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I haven't heard that one--yet. Antibiotics taken to excess will stop working when you really need them. I don't think that there can be overuse of antibiotic hand sanitizers--your hands are always touching something inbetween sanitizing.
2007-02-09 04:56:57 · answer #5 · answered by Holiday Magic 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No, because the soap does not contain any antibiotics. The ingredient that kills germs is isopropyl alcohol.
2007-02-09 04:31:53 · answer #6 · answered by Kevin H 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Most likely... the bacteria will evolve to save its species
2007-02-09 04:27:04 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes I believe so
2007-02-09 04:27:54 · answer #8 · answered by Kris S 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋