Living Well, Living Green: Anti-Bacterials

By RachelSarnoffGuest Blogger(view all posts by RachelSarnoff)
at 9:24AM Sunday January 17, 2010
under Shop Smarter

In flu season, even sustainabullies stock up on chemical antibacterials. Yes, they kill germs, but a new definitive study proves that these and other disinfectants do more harm than good. National environmental health group Women's Voices for the Earth analyzed more than 40 peer-reviewed reports and scientific studies and found that widely used chemicals such as Triclosan and Triclocarban, commonly found in antibacterial soaps, wipes and gels, can cause chronic illnesses and conditions such as asthma. The overuse of these antimicrobial chemicals has also been linked to the creation of "superbugs" that are resistant to the very antimicrobials designed to eradicate them.

And here's the kicker: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, frequent hand washing with hot water and regular soap is the best way to prevent infection and illness.

So why are sales of disinfectants projected to reach $2.5 billion by 2010? One word: Fear. People are so terrified of the flu that they'll stop at nothing to stock up on well-marketed products that contain the very chemicals that can put their immune systems at risk.

Let's put the whole epidemic in perspective with a few facts from the CDC:

There are many strains of flu floating around. Like all viruses, H1N1, or swine flu, is transmitted through person-to-person contact: Someone touches something that someone with the virus has previously touched, or breathes the air in which a person with flu has recently sneezed or coughed.

Just like any flu, symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue--in fact, you won't know if you have H1N1 unless you get tested by a doctor, but the CDC warns that flu tests can be inaccurate up to 50% of the time. The length of symptoms depends on the severity of your case; people are contagious from one day before symptoms appear until as much as a week after they have dissipated. So stay home at least 24 hours after your fever is gone.

What can you do to stay healthy? Wash your hands with the aforementioned soap and hot water. On the go, try a squirt of PETA-certified vegan, chemical-free Frais Hand Sanitizer, which uses renewable sugarcane alcohol and a blend of eight essential oils to kill 99.99% of germs--and donates a portion of proceeds to clean water non-profits. Then wipe hands (and handles) with a paraben- and phthalate-free Cleansing Towelette infused with organic aloe, comfrey, ginger root and chamomile from MD Moms or an alcohol-free, biodegradable Eat Cleaner individually-packaged food (and hand) wipe, which utilizes citric acid, an anti-viral, to safely clean hands as well as it cleans produce.

**During the week of 2/22, EcoStiletto members can win one of two MD Moms Gift sets valued at $64**

You can also boost your immune system by drinking plenty of fluids, getting lots of rest and stocking up on immune-boosting, vitamin C rich probiotics like PHD Citrus Boost and foods like the Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque soup from Amy's Organic Kitchen. (We're addicted. And no, we're not contagious.)

**During the week of 3/1, EcoStiletto members can win $50 worth of Amy's Organic Kitchen soups**

Got a sneezer? Clear the air with California Baby Colds & Flu Spritzer, which blends organic and sustainably grown eucalyptus, tea tree and rosewater to kill germs.

**During the week of 3/15, EcoStiletto members can win one of four $25 California Baby Flu & Cold Spritzer and Massage sets**

Then bundle up with one of Be Sweet's sustainably sourced, light-as-air mohair scarves, which supports South African artisan women.

**During the week of 2/22, EcoStiletto members can win a $130 Be Sweet Mohair scarf**

Homeopathic or herbal, the remedy is up to you, but for soothing sore throats nothing beats the soothing sweetness of Yummy Earth Organic Vitamin C Lollipops or USDA-certified Bee M.D. Organic Honey Throat Drops.

**During the week of 3/8, EcoStiletto members can win one of fifteen $7 sets of Bee MD Organic Honey Throat Drops**

To keep your home bug-free, we love Seventh Generation's new line of spray cleaners and wipes, which are the first registered by the EPA as natural disinfectants and are proven to kill 99.99% of germs. The company also works tirelessly to promote regulation of chemicals through the Toxic Chemical Reform Policy--since 1976, more than 80,000 chemicals that have entered the marketplace, and only 200 of them have been tested for safety.

But we digress. What's Seventh Generation's secret weapon against germs? Thyme. Take that, Triclosan.

Savings.com Green Guru Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff is a writer, producer and marketing consultant who focuses on sustainable fashion, beauty, lifestyle and parenting--and the creator of EcoStiletto.com, an online magazine which explains, in real-girl terms, how eco-friendly choices can help turn your carbon footprint from a ginormous Ugg into an oh-so-slender Manolo.