Effect of
antibacterial home cleaning and handwashing products on infectious
disease symptoms: a randomized, double-blind trial.
by
Larson EL, Lin SX, Gomez-Pichardo C, Della-Latta P.
Columbia University and Columbia University Medical Center,
New York, New York 10032, USA. Ann Intern Med. 2004 Mar 2;140(5):321-9.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Despite the widespread household use of cleaning and personal hygiene
products containing antibacterial ingredients, their effects on the
incidence of infectious disease symptoms have not been studied.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of antibacterial cleaning and
handwashing products for consumers on the occurrence of infectious
disease symptoms in households. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind
clinical trial. SETTING: Northern Manhattan inner-city neighborhood,
New York. PARTICIPANTS: 238 primarily Hispanic households (1178
persons) that included at least one preschool-age child. Interventions:
Households were randomly assigned to use either antibacterial or
nonantibacterial products for general cleaning, laundry, and
handwashing. All products were commercially available, but the
packaging was blinded and the products were provided free to
participants. MEASUREMENTS: Hygiene practices and infectious disease
symptoms were monitored by weekly telephone calls, monthly home visits,
and quarterly interviews for 48 weeks. RESULTS: Symptoms were primarily
respiratory: During 26.2% (717 of 2736) of household-months, 23.3% (640
of 2737) of household-months, and 10.2% (278 of 2737) of
household-months, one or more members of the household had a runny
nose, cough, or sore throat, respectively. Fever was present during 11%
(301 of 2737) of household-months, vomiting was present in 2.2% (61 of
2737), diarrhea was present in 2.5% (69 of 2737), and boils or
conjunctivitis were present in 0.77% (21 of 2737). Differences between
intervention and control groups were not significant for any symptoms
(all unadjusted and adjusted relative risks included 1.0) or for
numbers of symptoms (overall incidence density ratio, 0.96 [95% CI,
0.82 to 1.12]). CONCLUSIONS: The tested antibacterial products did not
reduce the risk for symptoms of viral infectious diseases in households
that included essentially healthy persons. This does not preclude the
potential contribution of these products to reducing symptoms of
bacterial diseases in the home.