This post is part of the Green Moms Carnival on Back to School. Be sure to go check out the round up post at Mindful Momma with lots of ideas on going back to school – in green style.
My take on going back to school is pretty close to my good friend Lynn at OrganicMania. You can avoid back to school shopping by remembering to repurpose and reuse. I try to limit new purchases – although the reusable lunch sacks do get pretty worn out each year. So my kids get one new item each year. And I try to purchase with purpose – we don’t even get our class lists until after school starts, so I refuse to buy anything until I know exactly what my kids actually need.
But, that doesn’t mean I haven’t looked at the back to school merchandise when shopping. And boy, has the use of Microban technologies in school supplies proliferated this year! If you aren’t aware, Microban is a broad range of antimicrobial technologies that are designed to protect products from microbes. Microban technologies do not protect the user of the product from disease causing microorganisms (if Microban International was making such claims, it would be subject to certain regulatory requirements and would have to have proof to support the claims). Microban technologies are built into the product during the manufacturing process.
What is actually used in the particular Microban technology in a particular product is difficult to discern. It is generally understood that Microban in plastic includes triclosan, a chemical many of us are trying to avoid. But you don’t know for sure. Microban has many different technologies it is using now, including zinc and silver technologies, so the average consumer can’t really tell what formulation is being used in any particular product.
But what is being used begs the question. Why exactly do we need Microban technologies in our binders and other school supplies? It seems like a completely unnecessary use of a chemical. If I need disease prevention, then I should be wiping down the binder and encouraging my children to wash their hands. The Microban technology added to it isn’t going to protect my child from disease – good old handwashing with warm water and soap will do that.
So why the heck are we seeing Microban technologies added to so many products? Because we seem to have a fear of microbes. A completely unnatural fear of microbes. And we think the solution is some antibacterial germ killing chemical, when all we really need to do is wash our hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds, rubbing vigorously. That’s it. And it doesn’t take antibacterial soap or antibacterial products.
So how about for back to school we skip the Microban technologies and send our kids to school with some castile liquid soap?
Unfortunately, to try to distinguish themselves in the marketplace, products are always trying to be new and different, and this seems to be one other little gimmick, which unfortunately brings with it unknown and possibly harmful chemicals. I still see antibacterial soaps everywhere and always wonder, haven’t these folks heard that these make no difference and probably promote super-bacteria? The germ-phobia in this country is nuts.
I agree, Microban doesn’t need to be on all our products for kids. I doubt even for a minute it would help. What’s most disturbing is what we’re doing to the future by using it on everything. Our kids will get sick at every turn, simply because of all the new technology we’ve made to prevent them from getting sick.
It’s okay to get a head cold every now and then, it’s good for the soul, and the environment.
I absolutely avoid any solid product that states that it contains Microban or any antimicrobial agent. These are chemicals that I do not want on my family. Once the chemicals leech to the surface it is then on your little one, husband or pet. Worse yet, it has been used in items that we place directly in our mouths such as toothbrushes and utensils or food surfaces such as counters and cutting boards. Avoid, avoid, avoid!
It’s very disturbing to me how much Microban is being used! What happened to cleaning and washing our hands?
Thanks for the nice shout-out, Jennifer!
Our back-to-school week has been very trying, which is why I’m so behind on even approving comments on my blog or reading others’ posts….But as you know, those trying experiences usually make for good blog material!!
There has been some buzz about local attempts to ban microban. It is ridiculous that in the name of “serving the consumer,” industry is allowed to introduce a completely unnecessary chemical that later requires government intervention to remediate. Complete waste of time and money on everyone’s part…the government, consumers, and even industry.
When oh when will sanity prevail?
Yes, I’m on a soapbox today….!
Yes, castile soap – Dr. Bronner’s organic castile soaps come to mind. They’ve been around for many decades, and some people even brush their teeth with them!
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Chemicals “everywhere”…And as if school supplies are suddenly dangerous without them, whereas the chemicals themselves present the danger!
Thank you for highlighting this issue.
Actually, if you want your kids to be healthy, let them get DIRTY – I mean with real, living, roll-around-in-it soil! We NEED those microbes!
Alisa Rose
AMBIANCE ECO
Agreed. The chemicals and chemical companies are presenting such serious dangers to our children at school and in the home. I am an Independent Consultant for Norwex, where you clean with water, and am working hard to get it into the schools. My goal at each school is to get the teacher requests to say “donation for a Norwex Envirocloth” instead of Bleach Wipes. It starts with teachers using it at home and seeing that the microfiber cloth/silver and water will replace their cleaning products…they are stunned by it’s effectiveness! Once you get it into their hands, they’re hooked. It’s seriously amazing and I’m getting there! (: FAQ: https://melissatomas.norwex.biz/?p=n§id=7