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The United States Food and Drug Administration has ordered the removal of antibacterial ingredients in soaps.

What could be the rationale behind this directive? Do these antibacterial components pose a hazard to consumers? What could be these risks then?

In a statement released on Sept. 2, FDA revealed that some stores have already started removing those antibacterial washes that contain one or more of the 19 active ingredients noted to have a negative effect on health from their shelves.

The statement pointed out that two of the most commonly used active ingredients in producing washes with the antibacterial property are triclosan and triclocarban - ingredients that are intended to be rinsed off with water after application.

"Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water," Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), stressed. "In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term."

It was clarified, though, that "consumer hand 'sanitizers' or wipes, or antibacterial products used in health care settings" do not fall under the newly-issued rule.

Under the new rule on the use of certain active ingredients in antibacterial soaps, FDA said that manufacturers have been given a year either to remove the affected products from the market "or reformulating (removing antibacterial active ingredients) these products."

In a YouTube video posted by Nirvana News on Sept. 4, it was shared that prolong use of such products with any of the cited active ingredients were reportedly closely tied to hormone disruption, bacterial resistance and potential liver cancer. 

For more health news and updates, including those about the soaps with antibacterial ingredients which the FDA has ordered for removal, keep visiting this site.