Prospectus

This is a super rough draft of this. But I want to put it up anyways
 
The Truthiness of Soap

How have companies chosen to adhere to a different definition of clean to sell anti-bacterial soap, in spite of their lack of efficacy and danger to health and the environment?


Antimicrobial soap is no more effective at cleaning, while much worse for the environment. Yet it is heavily marketed to parents by advertising that creates a different definition of clean.



This argument revolves around facing on one hand the need to keep my children healthy and safe from infections. On the other hand I don’t want to protect my children from short term harm while contributing to long term problems like the proliferation of super bacteria and environmental degradation. I want to address this issue to both better my household while exploring issues of environmental health and how companies market products

This is a more controversial issue because marketing companies have redefined public ideas of what constitutes “clean”. 



The issue revolves mostly around the most common agent used in antibacterial soap, Triclosan. This chemical has been shown to disrupt endocrine function in many organisms in its active form and once decayed becomes a known carcinogen.  

Reasonable people can agree and disagree with this topic because people have different beliefs regarding cleaning products

There is sufficient evidence that Triclosan is in many common products and are sold widely. There are many studies talking about different toxic aspects of the Triclosan anti-septic.  

I think the advertising of these products suits the term "Truthiness"

My evidence points more to a culture of ignorance and different attitudes about cleaning. 

People could see the issue from either a view that they need to protect themselves from germs or that they need to avoid potentially toxic substances.

People disagree with what constitutes clean. While it is a common belief that it is important to wash your hands, people have different beliefs as to what that entails. 


 I need to persuade other parents that the cons outweigh the pros regarding the use of antibacterial soap products. 

Any reader can react to my call to action by simply looking at labels and choosing to purchase non-toxic products. My appeal is very direct and easy to implement.





 

http://greenaircleaning.tumblr.com/post/24067629197/the-dangers-lurking-in-antibacterial-soaps

http://www.greeningfamilies.com/families/two-reasons-to-quit-antibacterial-soaps/
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=1213399&page=1#.UI655mf5WSo

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/09/health/09essa.html?ex=1257742800&en=0e93bdabccb3e84f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&_r=0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibacterial_soap

http://www.realfoodhouston.com/2012/04/18/whats-best-antibacterial-soap-hand-sanitizer-or-just-plain-soap-and-water/

http://www.marketresearch.com/Consumer-Goods-c1596/Consumer-Goods-Retailing-c80/Soap-Bath-Products-c1820/7/

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196655301147000

http://www.hcn.org/blogs/range/antibacterial-soaps-in-the-backcountry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truthiness

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11584251

http://www.livablefutureblog.com/2011/02/antibacterial-soap-poses-environmental-health-risks-doesnt-clean-any-better

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/triclosan/

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/antibacterial-soap-vs-regular-soap.html