Degafloor warns against anti-microbial use

Triclosan, a biocide designed to kill bacteria, has become an increasingly common additive in floors laid in manufacturing and food processing plants. The agent is manufactured in the US by Ciba Specialty Chemicals, under their trade name Irgasan DP300, and by several other manufacturers outside of the US.

The product had been hailed by its supporters as the most effective way of eradicating germs from production area floors. However, this claim is now being hotly disputed.

According to Degafloor​, which supplies industrial and heavy commercial use resin flooring systems based on MMA resins, recent findings from both the UK and overseas has called into question the validity of adding anti-microbials to products as a way of fighting bugs. In addition, the company claims that serious health fears have led to a number of major companies on both sides of the Atlantic discontinuing its use altogether.

The company also asserts that research in the US has suggested that the chemical could be breeding a new type of 'superbug' - bacteria capable of resisting antibiotics. The environmental agencies in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark have all voiced concern about the chemical but no advice has been issued by the UK agency and the product is still widely used.

The firm's commercial director James Wright believes that the fashion amongst some flooring solutions providers to specify antibacterial agents is nothing more than opportunistic "marketing hype".

"At best there is little evidence to suggest anti-microbials offer any additional protection against the growth of bacteria on production floors whilst, at worst, they could be harmful to humans by creating new, more resilient germs,"​ he said.

"Moreover, we are unconvinced that a fully impermeable surface - as any hygienic floor should be - will allow the anti-microbial to continue rising to the surface to kill bacteria. We firmly believe a consistent and well-managed cleaning regime is still the best tool in the fight against bacteria."​

However, the antimicrobial industry argues that products containing triclosan have been used by food processors and other sectors for decades. According to the US http://www.cleaning101.com/ Soap and Detergent Association, triclosan has never been shown to promote antibiotic resistance.

It points out that an FDA advisory panel recently determined that antibiotic resistance due to the use of antibacterial wash products is not a public health concern. Two independent hospital infection control researchers presented studies to the FDA showing that triclosan-based wash products were able to control and reverse outbreaks of resistant bacteria infections in hospitals, an environment where bacterial resistance is continually monitored.