Just like grandma always said – a little dirt never hurt anyone.

Monday, July 24, 2000

Just like grandma always said – a little dirt never hurt anyone.

With antibacterial products taking root, Americans are more obsessed than ever with killing germs, researchers are saying. But the clean craze may have some unpleasant side effects – from killing helpful bacteria along with the harmful, to weakening the immune system by keeping it sheltered, to helping produce new strains of superbacteria.

Could it be that in their endless quest to sell us more stuff – especially more stuff on which they can slap the "new" label – the soap companies and the paper towel makers have led us astray?

Of course, it’s still good to be clean. And nobody’s ever going to slander the deodorant or shampoo producers. But perhaps antibacterial everything isn’t as necessary as the TV commercials would have us believe.

There will never be consensus on whether the antibacterials work, of course, because Colgate-Palmolive and Proctor & Gamble have lots of their own scientists to counter whatever the other scientists say.

But it appears good old soap and water may be enough to keep a body clean, after all.