Antibacterial Soap: An Imminent Threat to Human Health an...

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Antibacterial Soap: An Imminent Threat to Human Health and the Environment?

Groups petition the FDA to ban the use of triclosan, a common antibacterial

chemical in hand soap.

Arguing that the chemical commonly used to give antibacterial soap its bite

" poses imminent threats to human health and the environment, " two groups

are petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to have triclosan banned.

The Daily Green has consistently recommended against using antibacterial

soap (yes, even for parents with young children), primarily because it doesn't

achieve its stated purpose (sanitizing your hands) any better than a

thorough washing with regular-old soap and hot water ... but it does create

conditions that allow for the evolution of antibiotic-resistance among bacteria.

More recently, evidence has emerged that tricolsan may be an

endocrine-disrupting chemical, messing with our hormones. It's found in our

blood, and

because we dump so much down the drain with each washing, it even contaminates

dolphins, according to one recent study.

Though antibacterial products have saturated the market, there are

alternatives to antibacterial soap. Triclosan isn't found only in soaps; it's

also

used in toothpastes, deodorants, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, facial

tissues, antiseptics, fabrics, toys and medical devices.

The petition (pdf) filed by Beyond Pesticides and Food and Water Watch

(with support from dozens of other groups, including the Sierra Club, the

American Bird Conservancy and the Breast Cancer Fund), argues that tricolsan

should not be approved for use in consumer products.

" Numerous scientific studies and reports clearly indicate that in addition

to its human health and environmental dangers, triclosan is not effective

for many of its intended benefits and may actually be doing consumers more

harm than good, " said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch.

" Even worse, is that current regulations on triclosan haven't been updated

since 1994 and much of the science used by the FDA to regulate the pesticide

dates back to the late 1970s and early 1980s. The agency's inconsideration

of new scientific research on triclosan represents an egregious failure to

properly protect the public against this dangerous pesticide. "

The petitioners make six basic claims:

Triclosan doesn't work in consumer products

Tricolsan's widespread use increases the chances of harmful bacteria

becoming resistant to the drug

Triclosan builds up in the body

Tricolsan may disrupt human hormones

Triclosan can react with other chemicals to form dioxin and chloroform,

which are known to be toxic

Triclosan contaminates water, affecting marine wildlife and ecosystems It's

useful to remember that triclosan, like other pesticides, is a poison. It's

poisonous to bacteria. We may be far removed from bacteria, way up in the

evolutionary branches of life, but the common chemistry of living things

means that chemicals that affect one form of life often affect others too.

Why is Triclosan used so widely? People buy it. And marketers sell it. The

market's worth is estimated at $1 billion, so someone is pocketing some

serious cash.

Find this article at:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/anti-bacterial-soap-tricl\

osan-47071501

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