Is There Such a Thing as TOO Clean?
Cleaning product ads try to convince us that if you use the latest new and powerful formula, your sparkling toilet bowl will become the pride of the neighborhood. Food dropped on your immaculate kitchen tiles will never again by subject to the tyranny of the “three second rule.” Just shoo the dog away and eat it right off the floor at your leisure! We are told to be ruthless in the war with germs, to eradicate all bacteria and bleach everything. After all, sterile is safe, right?
Well, maybe not. Sometimes the solution is worse than the problem—especially when you are dealing with harsh chemicals. Chlorine, one of the most common sterilizing agents is also one of the most toxic. Known for making whites white and sinks germ-free, chlorine is a dangerous toxin. Chlorine that has been flushed into the water supply has been associated with health problems such as hormonal disruption, infertility and lowered sperm counts, immune system suppression, learning disabilities, behavioral changes and damage to the skin, liver and kidneys. And because chlorine compounds can build up in human and animal body fat over time, someone can carry the toxin in his or her body for a long time before he or she accumulates enough to experience adverse symptoms.
Even relatively benign substances can become a problem when overused. Anti-bacterial soaps, detergents and lotions are a prime example. In small amounts they aren’t considered particularly toxic, but too much of them can be a bad thing. The trouble with anti-bacterial agents is that they are a little too effective—killing the good with the bad. There are actually around 200 million beneficial bacteria on our hands alone that help us stay healthy, and anti-bacterials eliminate these away as well.
Recent studies show that a little exposure to germs now and then can actually prepare you to ward off more serious exposures in the long run. This is especially true for children, whose systems are still developing immunities. "If we over-clean and sterilize, children's immune systems will not mature," says Dr. Stuart Levy, director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistence at the Tufts University School of Medicine. He asserts that recent studies have identified an increase in asthma and allergies in homes that are overly clean.
Worse, overzealous use of anti-bacterial agents can actually strengthen the competition, in effect “culling the herd” of the weaker strains of bacteria and giving more resistant strains a chance to multiply with greater ferocity. Triclosan, a popular ingredient in many antibacterial cleansers, is an antibiotic against which bad bacteria can eventually mutate to become resistant. “Triclosan itself doesn’t cause a mutation, but by killing normal bacteria, it creates an environment where the resistant, mutated bacteria are more likely to survive,” urges Dr. Levy. "And when antibiotic resistant bacteria proliferate, it eventually becomes more difficult to treat infections in humans, as well as in plants and animals."
When these antibacterial agents are washed into our water supply, they often evade sewage treatment screens, once again increasing the likelihood that milder forms of bacteria will be killed and replaced by more resistant strains. Scientists from the United States Geological Survey who sampled 139 rivers and streams last summer found hundreds of antibacterial agents lurking in the nation's water supply. These agents also end up back in people's drinking water, a small but undesirable dose of antibiotics.
An Informed Consumer is a Safer Consumer
Unfortunately, avoiding chemicals you don’t want isn’t as easy as picking up a bottle and reading the label. Cleaning product companies are not required to list all the ingredients in their products. Yet, thanks to consumer demand for safer cleaning alternatives, some manufacturers have begun to provide cleaning products that clearly list all ingredients. Read the list carefully, though. Don't be misled by products that claim they are "environmentally friendly" or "organic". No established system of standards is yet in place to validate these claims. Your best approach is simply to know what chemicals to avoid and to know what's in the product.
And don't forget that regular soap and hot water remain a reliable all-purpose cleaner. They remove the dirt and grease that attract bad bacteria without turning your home into a hospital.