Children and teens who are overexposed to antibacterial soaps that contain the chemical triclosan may be at increased risk for hay fever and other allergies, a finding that suggests that being too clean can actually make people sick, researchers say.

According to HealthDay News, the study also found that exposure to higher levels of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) may weaken an adult's immune system.

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent widely used in products such as antibacterial soaps, toothpaste, medical devices and diaper bags. BPA, which is used to make many types of plastics and other consumer products, is believed to affect human hormones.

The investigators also found that children and teens with higher levels of triclosan were more likely to have been diagnosed with hay fever and other allergies.

"The triclosan findings in the younger age groups may support the 'hygiene hypothesis,' which maintains living in very clean and hygienic environments may impact our exposure to microorganisms that are beneficial for development of the immune system," principal investigator Allison Aiello, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said in the news release.

Aiello noted that triclosan may change the microorganisms to which people are normally exposed in such a way that children's immune system development is affected.