A recent request by the chairman of a congressional environmental subcommittee about triclosan is shedding light on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ongoing review of the popular ingredient’s safety.
Triclosan is added to many consumer products to reduce or prevent bacterial contamination. It’s estimated to be used in about 50 percent of consumer soaps and can be found in body washes, toothpastes, and some cosmetics.
In responding to Rep. Edward J. Markey’s (D-Mass.) letter, the FDA said, in light of animal studies raising questions about triclosan’s safety, it’s reviewing the latest information on the ingredient so that it can be incorporated into the regulations for consumer products containing triclosan.
Animal studies have shown that triclosan alters hormone regulation, reports the FDA factsheet “Triclosan: What Consumers Should Know.” Other studies in bacteria have raised the possibility that triclosan contributes to making bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
The FDA said it doesn’t have sufficient safety evidence to recommend changing consumer use of products that contain triclosan at this time.
Currently, the agency said it doesn’t have evidence that triclosan in antibacterial soaps and body washes provides any benefit over washing with regular soap and water.
FDA will announce the findings of its review in the spring of 2011.
Markey has called on the federal government to ban triclosan in consumer soaps, products intended to come into contact with food, and products marketed to children.
Tuesday, he wrote to 13 major manufacturers urging them to voluntarily stop using triclosan. Markey said:
I’m calling on the companies that use this chemical to voluntarily remove it from products marketed specifically for children, consumer soaps, and products that will come into contact with food. There are simply too many troubling questions about triclosan’s effectiveness and potentially harmful effects, for these products to remain in everyday use.
The National Resources Defense Council is among the environmental groups that agree triclosan needs to be banned in personal care products. It sites the widespread use of the ingredient, lack of effectiveness, and concerns for hormone disrupting effects.:
Triclosan is so widely used that it’s found in the urine of 75 percent of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other countries, including the members of European Union, have banned or restricted use of the chemical, according to The Washington Post Article “FDA Says Studies on Triclosan, Used in Sanitizers and Soaps, Raise Concerns.”
Triclosan was developed as a surgical scrub for medical professionals. It’s also used in pesticides, the article reports.
i used anti bactrieal soap because important..