A few years ago everyone wanted to use “antibacterial” soaps.  I was one of them too, until I found out that the antibacterial stuff was actually doing more harm to both your body and the environment.

Especially the very popular “triclosan” that is still widely used today in soaps and deodorants.

The main reason you don’t want to over use the antibacterial stuff is that your body will build a resistant to the bacteria.  And that could lead to new super bug, the antibiotic resistant strains such as MRSA.

In 2003, Researchers at the University of Minnesota (Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology) found when triclosan in water was exposed to sunlight, it converted into a dioxin. Dioxins are a group of chemicals that have been linked to a variety of health problems including respiratory to neurological conditions.

Because the dioxins do not degrade over time, they can accumulate in body tissues and cause a larger effect over time. Researchers say even low levels of this highly toxic chemical would become a problem because of its tendency to accumulate through the food chain.

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Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (published in 1962) was mandatory reading for our ecology 101 class.  Even thought I’ve read that book a long time ago, the book has always left a big impact on me.

Rowan Jacobsen, an environmental writer living in Vermont wrote Fruitless Fall in 2008.  He quotes Rachel Carson’s book about a  fruitless fall where “there was no pollination and there would be no fruit.”  Not a very nice prediction of the state of our planet.

Jacobsen investigates the reason why the bees have been disappearing.  The book is well written and easy to follow.  It’s more like having a good conversation with a friend over a cup of coffee.  Every chapter takes you to another new trail to follow.  From the blueberry farms in Maine to the blossoming almond trees in the San Joaquin Valley of California.

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