Talk:Antiseptic

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Ok, I'm going to ask this here because I don't know. Soap is a powerful antibacterial agent because it disrupts cell membranes. It can be used on the surfaces of the skin. Is soap (or detergents in general) an antiseptic? Dwmyers 22:30, 10 Nov 2003 (UTC)

I don't know but this lecture suggests that soap is a disinfectant theresa knott 12:12, 1 Mar 2004 (UTC)

"Uses in suppositories to treat yeast infections of the vagina"? Should that be "pessaries" or should there be a comma in that? Is it true at all? - Anon

It's certainly true Iris. See:

[1] or

[2] or

[3] or many more onj the web. theresa knott 09:50, 1 Mar 2004 (UTC)

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Soap/detergent may be used to treat infections, but I don't think it is because it is any kind of antiseptic. It simply removes the pathogens and their food source through emulsification.

Also, Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) is NOT an antiseptic. It is a disinfectant. "Atiseptic" implies a substance that can routinely be used on skin. --LanceVictor 17:18, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

In fact, sodium hypochlorite can be used as a skin/wound antiseptic, provided that the concentration of it does not exceed 0.5-1.0% and that the pH of the solution is adjusted to 7-8 (a 0.5% aqueous NaClO with pH neutralised towards 7 by boric acid and is colored by 0.05% potassium permanganate is known as Daquin's solution (or, la solution de Daquin, in french)). It was, along with diluted phenolic solutions and tincture of iodine/Lugol's iodine one of the very first antiseptics used mainly in continetnal Europe from about 1860's to 1920's. It had a very good microbicidal effect and was along with Lugol's iodine the most potent antiseptic used.--Spiperon 00:28, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

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Mercurochrome -- any real evidence to support "reportedly works better than any other antiseptic"? I don't think that it's completely accurate to say that the U.S. FDA banned its distribution. The FDA removed it from the generally recognized as safe and effective list. A new producer of mercurochrome would have to go through the FDA's approval process. (Of course in practice, this will never happen since mercurochrome isn't patented.) The phrase "ostensibly due to the mercury poisoning scare" is blatently POV. --66.188.84.209 07:42, 20 Jan 2005 (UTC)

[edit] NaCl?

Who uses salt as an antiseptic?

Noone any more. However, it was used historically. See Salting. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 09:38, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] What about colloidal silver?

I guess this one is missing from the list...