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Q. Should I be concerned about the dangers of triclosan found in liquid soap, toothpaste and my lipstick? One of the members of our Special Needs Children group brought in an article about it. Many of us were shocked.
We all admitted to going through gallons of antibacterial hand soap in a year. I wash my hands with it at least 25 or 30 times a day and have for years.
Some of the side effects were birth defects and thyroid problems and we have both in our house. What can you tell us about this?
A. Given how widespread triclosan is, we can't tell you enough. This antibacterial ingredient is found in cleaning supplies, deodorants, liquid soaps, toothpaste, shaving cream and mouthwash. Research in rodents and many species of aquatic animals demonstrates that triclosan disrupts hormones and may cause developmental changes. Studies linking it to thyroid problems have been done in mice and frogs.
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization, has summarized information about triclosan toxicity on its Web site (www.ewg.org). There is evidence that triclosan from personal care products gets into our bodies and contaminates streams and rivers.
Despite environmental concerns, there is no definitive proof that triclosan harms humans.
Washing with ordinary soap and water is just as good as washing with antibacterial soap, according to researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. If you need a hand sanitizer, an alcohol-based product such as Purell should pose no risk.
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I often find it difficult to find liquid hand soap that is NOT antibacterial. I hope more people can be educated that regular soap is all that we ever need to thoroughly clean our hands (and our bodies!)
Thank you for referring to EWG. I find their web site very reliable and helpful... and they always seem to be one step ahead of everyone else on the dangers of many of the chemicals in our lives.
From our experience you should avoid this like the plague -- because that's what it is! On two different occasions, all three members of my family (including me) got extremely sick with some mysterious respiratory condition. Then I noticed one common denominator -- Dad had been using "antibacterial" dishwashing liquid! I suspect that this product basically causes bacteria to mutate into a more virulent form. So if you want a product that doesn't do that (but still kills germs) use something like tea tree oil or grapefruit seed extract. (Olive leaf is another possibility).
I also heard once that Britain had banned triclosan / tricarban products and I know that they don't break down in the environment. We already have enough estrogenic compounds, what with the GMO soy dominating the food market, so why add more? The whole phobia about germs is profoundly misguided anyway -- kids actually do better when they are exposed to some bacteria, like at petting zoos. So I would VERY STRONGLY urge concerned consumers to avoid synthetic antibacterials and we should definitely work to get these off the market!
Washing your hands is a mostly a mechanical process not a chemical one. It is not always necessary to even use hand soap. The most important factor in having clean hands is making sure you wash for about 20 seconds. The new alcohol based washes are nice, but don't remove or kill everything like C. diff. for example.
I don't think you can get a respiratory condition from having washed dishes with antibacterial dishwashing liquid. Once the dishsoap has been rinsed off the dishes how can it cause respiratory issues? Also, you aren't consuming or inhaling the liquid into your body. That mysterious respiratory condition was probably a virus, and these are very common and can be passed among family members, and can be difficult to overcome. So it was a coincidence that the dishsoap was being used at the same time.
So many hormone disruptors everywhere!!! Dioxin in diesel exhaust, bpa and phthallates in plastics - just everywhere, this, and no doubt countless other stuff. It's no wonder we have so many brain disorders in children and elders. And our FDA, EPA (environmental procrastination agency), etc. only seem to take orders from industry while our health goes down the tubes.
Seventh Generation Co. makes "clean" soap and cleaning products now available at Target and some grocery stores. Trader Joe's (mostly in California) has great clean soaps and all health stores carry them. I use nothing but those. Also Dr. Bronner's soaps are plain castille soap and fragrance oils or plain. Hope this helps you, it certainly helps our water supply and fish and frogs.