ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
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I don't know of that particular activity, but I'd be interested in how
it's setup and tested.

Triclosan, the antibiotic included in those "antibacterial" products is
bacteriostatic, meaning that it prevents the growth of bacteria (versus
bacteriocidal antibiotics which have a direct killing action).  The idea
behind the products is that the soap kills the existing bacteria and the
triclosan prevents the growth of new bacteria, at least for a little
while.  E. coli divide every 20min or so, but I don't know how long the
triclosan is purported to last on surfaces, hands, etc.  So if you did
an "instant" test (e.g. tried to culture colonies by placing the washed
hand on a petri plate with agar) with regular soap vs. antibacterial
soap, you probably wouldn't see much difference.  It would be more
interesting to compare soap, bleach, and alcohol (the active ingredient
in those hand gels) because each kills the microbes in a slightly
different way.

-Tinsley
Museum of Science, Boston

Eric Meyer wrote:

>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>Greetings,
>
>A few years ago at the ASTC Conference some educators presented an activity
>where visitors test regular soap, bleach water, antibacterial soap, and
>antibacterial gel to determine which of these things are effective.  I would
>like to introduce this program into our educational offerings but
>unfortunately I can't remember what the different substances were tested on
>and some of the other logistics needed for carrying out this activity.  If
>anyone has done this or is doing this, I would greatly appreciate a little
>email assistance.  Thanks much.
>
>Eric
>
>Eric Meyer
>Science Educator
>¡explora! Science Center and Children's Museum of Albuquerque
>2100 Louisiana NE #98
>Albuquerque, NM 87110
>505-842-1537 ext. 21
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>
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