About our obsession with being too clean

July 19, 2000

Nation & World : Tuesday, July 18, 2000

Germ warfare: a dirty little secret

by Seattle Times news services

ATLANTA - Americans are obsessed with cleanliness, some experts say, coating

everything from toothbrush handles to hospital walls with anti-bacterials and

snapping up hundreds of new household cleaning products.

But people's efforts to keep their bodies and the things they touch free of

bacteria are misguided, Tufts University microbiologist Dr. Stuart Levy told

the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The problem is that all that scrubbing and sponging may be weakening people's

immune systems, killing helpful germs and creating super bacteria.

" Dousing everything we touch with antibacterial soaps and taking antibiotic

medications at the first sign of a cold can upset the natural balance of

microorganisms in and around us, leaving behind only the `superbugs,' " Levy

said.

He said soap and hot water, alcohol, chlorine bleach and hydrogen peroxide

are sufficient for most purposes. Strong anti-bacterial cleaners are needed

only when someone is seriously ill or has low immunity, he said.

" If we are to avert a crisis, people need to stop and think twice before

using fortified cleansers and pressuring their doctors to give them

antibiotics for every infection, " he said.

Levy said a recent Italian study found that exposure to bacteria is essential

for development of an infant's immune system. He said a baby must be exposed

to germs during its first year in order to develop antibodies needed to fight

infection later in life.

" I've seen no evidence to show that (anti-bacterials) work, nor that they

have a health benefit, " he said.

Not surprisingly, companies that make such products disagree.

" It's removing a significant amount of bacteria, " said Anchrum, a

spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble. " If you look at the way we live today vs.

the way we might have lived 50 years ago, personal hygiene has been a major

contributor to our country's improved health. "

But Levy said research has proved that overuse of anti-bacterials will create

stronger, more dangerous strains of bacteria, as has overuse of antibiotics.

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