Antibacterial Chemical Raises Safety Issues

By ANDREW MARTIN Published: August 19, 2011

That question has federal regulators, consumer advocates and soap manufacturers locked in a battle over the active ingredient in Dial Complete and many other antibacterial soaps, a chemical known as triclosan.

The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing the safety of the chemical, which was created more than 40 years ago as a surgical scrub for hospitals. Triclosan is now in a range of consumer products, including soaps, kitchen cutting boards and even a best-selling toothpaste, Colgate Total. It is so prevalent that a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the chemical present in the urine of 75 percent of Americans over the age of 5.

Several studies have shown that triclosan may alter hormone regulation in laboratory animals or cause antibiotic resistance, and some consumer groups and members of Congress want it banned in antiseptic products like hand soap. The F.D.A. has already said that soap with triclosan is no more effective than washing with ordinary soap and water, a finding that manufacturers dispute..... Brian Sansoni, spokesman for the American Cleaning Institute, said the evidence against triclosan was hardly convincing and that the chemical had been used safely in consumer products and in hospitals for decades. He said there was no evidence that triclosan caused antibiotic resistance.

“You would think after heavy use in hospital settings over several decades it would have shown up by now,” Mr. Sansoni said. “This is one of those big urban myths that opponents of these products try to spread.” ......To Read More.... 

 

My Take - Weasel words and unending claims about harm with nothing more than claims that triclosan "may" cause hormonal problems in laboratory animals. First of all, rats and mice aren't little people, secondly the dose response factor may be all out of whack compared to the real world and let's try to remember the claims that dioxin is the "most toxic chemical" on Earth was based on the fact that it was amazingly toxic to guinea pigs, but it's not anywhere near that toxic to humans or other vertebrates, as was demonstrated when someone attempted to assassinate the President of Ukraine.