POPULAR soaps, shampoos and dental products may contain chemicals that damage the immune system and put us at risk of serious diseases, scientists warn.
Products containing antibacterial chemicals designed to wipe out bacteria, viruses and fungi are woven into our daily lives – but experts warn the chemicals may be doing our health more harm than good.
Experts fear that, along with germs, these ingredients – called ‘biocides’ – may also be wiping out microorganisms in our bodies that help protect us from disease.
The human body contains trillions of microorganisms, called the microbiome, in our mouths, gut, lungs and on our skin.
The balance of these microorganisms is vital to how our body and immune system functions.
When ‘good’ bacteria and other microbes are wiped out then ‘bad’ microbes thrive and take their place.
Some research suggests using mouthwashes containing a common biocide called chlorhexidine can wipe out 90 per cent of protective bacteria in your mouth – while also increasing blood pressure, a key risk factor for heart attacks and stroke.
Chlorhexidine can be found in a number of commonly used products, from mouth wash to dental floss.
Facial cleansers claiming to kill off bacteria, as well as hand sanitisers, and wet wipes also contain another biocide, called benzalkonium chloride.
The chemicals can be found in some anti-dandruff and anti-head lice shampoos too.
A bill debated in Parliament at 11am today seeks to highlight just how rife biocides are in household products.
It called for a ban biocides used non-medical over-the-counter products unless strictly justified by evidence, the Mirror reports.
Former leader of the Green party and peer Natalie Bennett, who is tabling the bill, wrote in a policy brief: “What was your morning like?
“Maybe, singing cheerfully, you jumped into the shower, reaching for the antibacterial body wash, on special this week, with its loud label claiming “kills 99 per cent of bacteria”.
“Afterwards you brushed your teeth with the heavily advertised new antibacterial toothpaste and used chlorhexidine-containing mouthwash.
“On your face, moisturiser. You’ve had that tube for several months, but it contains preservatives, so it is still fresh.
“You pulled on some new socks you got for Christmas, promising ‘extra antibacterial freshness’ from silver-infused material.
“You reached for a menstrual product promising to prevent odour and ‘guarantee freshness’, which also contains silver.
“Before you go to breakfast, you have subjected your microbiome to a barrage of biocides, in other words poisons.
“We know that the microbiome is essential to life; our gut microbiome, about which we know most (although still very little) has significant impacts on mental and physical health.
HOW CAN I BOOST MY IMMUNE SYSTEM?
Immunologist Dr Ross Walton previously told Sun on Sunday Health: “There is no silver bullet that will protect you but a real difference can be made to immunity by making some small changes.”
He recommended regularly exercising, practising mindfulness to suppress stress, eating fermented foods and getting jabs, among other tweaks to your lifestyle.
Meanwhile, the Harvard School of Public Health had seven easy recommendations:
- Eating a balanced diet whole fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and plenty of water, like a Mediterranean diet, and taking multivitamins
- Not smoking
- Drinking alcohol in moderation
- Doing moderate exercise regularly
- Aiming for seven to nine hours of sleep nightly
- Trying to manage stress with healthy strategies like exercise, meditation, taking up a hobby or talking to a trusted friend
- Washing your hands throughout the day, especially before preparing food and after the toilet
“Exactly what impact that barrage has on it we have little information, yet, but it cannot be good.
“None of the products used in the hypothetical case I outlined above are necessary.
“They confer no benefit over non-biocidal products, yet they are damaging our human, animal and environmental health.”
Supporters of the bill aren’t targeting one specific chemical – instead they want a broad-spectrum ban on unjustified use of biocides in over-the-counter products.
They claim this approach would prevent a “whack a mole” situation where manufacturers simply switch to a different biocide in order to avoid legislation.
It doesn’t propose a total ban, but if a company wants to include a biocide in a product it must “demonstrate that the efficacy of the produce is significantly enhanced by the use of the biocide without undue environmental impact”.
Dr Paul-Enguerrand Fady, expert at the Centre for Long Term Resilience, who was involved in drafting the bill, told The Mirror that the regulation of biocides was “like the Wild West”.
“Rather than operating under the assumption that everything is fine, this bill would place the onus on the manufacturers to prove that it is,” he said.
“We want to take these products from being available on the shelves, like confectionery, to being something that you have to have at least minimal contact with a qualified professional to buy.”
Professor Andrew Seaton, president of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, and consultant in infectious diseases at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, added: “Outside of healthcare, the benefits of biocides are at best speculative, but harms are potentially significant and irreversible.”
However, industry groups claimed the implementation of such a bill wouldn’t be necessary.
Dr Emma Meredith, director general of the Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association, said existing safety regulations already provide enough safeguards and claimed the proposal risked banning “safe cosmetic preservatives”, which could increase the risk of cosmetic products being contaminated by harmful germs.
Victor Efford, operations director at Waterless, which makes Nilaqua Skin Cleansing Foam, added: “The answer is not to ban and punish, but to incentivise use of more natural based products, where it is a choice of the consumer to opt for the alternatives themselves.
“In short, this would have to be done very carefully with a focus on unnecessary cosmetics only.”
The bill is only approaching its second reading in the Lords and would have to go through many other stages, including being debated and passed in the House of Commons, before potentially becoming law.
