Triclosan – the deadly agent in soap

Keith Williamson/flickr

Triclosan is a chemical antimicrobial that is found in all sorts of consumer products from soaps, shampoo’s, detergents and even in children’s toys.  It has also been in the spotlight recently with government investigations and researchers testing its harmful effects.

Triclosan has been investigated by various authorities in the US due to concerns that it is linked to allergy development in children, and as a hormone disrupter, causes thyroid dysfunction.  In a study published this year, researchers tested triclosan, as well as another agent, in vitro (in a test tube) and on animals and found that the chemicals can “promote breast cancer progression”.

In itself this is bad enough, however researchers in the US have now shown that triclosan also causes liver fibrosis and cancer in mice and suggest that this has potentially serious consequences of any long term exposure in humans. “Triclosan’s increasing detection in environmental samples and its increasingly broad use in consumer products may overcome its moderate benefit and present a very real risk of liver toxicity for people, as it does in mice, particularly when combined with other compounds with similar action,” said Robert H. Tukey, PhD of the National Institute of Environmental Health Studies.  The study assessed triclosan exposure on mice for six months – equivalent to 18 years in humans – and found that the mice were more susceptible to liver tumors.  The researchers reported that triclosan interferes with the livers detoxifying capabilities causing stress on the liver, and continual exposure to the chemical leads to fibrosis and eventually causes cancer tumor formation.

It’s not just soaps and detergents that should concern you.  Earlier this year Hong Kong’s Customs and Excise Department began “looking into” the safety of Colgate’s toothpaste brand Total which is revealed to contain triclosan, although it is not the only brand on the Hong Kong market containing this harmful chemical.  The Department of Health advises that “13 registered pharmaceutical products being sold in the city contained the chemical as an active ingredient.”

Triclosan is actually a registered chemical pesticide but has been used in the medical industry for the past 40 years and more recently as an antibacterial and antifungal agent in consumer products.  It is so ubiquitous that it has been found in high concentrations in breast milk samples (as high as 97%), in serum and urine samples and as high as 75% of urine sample in other studies.

Is it regulated though?  Well in the United States no, and not in Hong Kong either.  There are various forms of bans and labeling requirements for certain levels of triclosan in Europe, Australia and some other countries, but essentially it appears as if triclosan continues to be used in many consumer products.  The FDA is still looking into it and has apparently committed to do something about it by 2016, according to an article in The Atlantic.  On the use of antibacterials the FDA said, “There is currently no evidence that they are any more effective at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water. Further, some data suggest that long-term exposure to certain active ingredients used in antibacterial products—for example, triclosan (liquid soaps) and triclocarban (bar soaps)—could pose health risks, such as bacterial resistance or hormonal effects.”

Enough with the chemical exposure

I suggest that there is now compelling evidence to cause this chemical to be removed from all consumer products regardless of whether the Department of Health, FDA or authorities elsewhere in the world consider it hazardous or not.

To be fair, many consumer products manufactures have voluntarily removed triclosan from products and some, such as Avon and Johnson and Johnson, have done so because of consumer pressure.

Of course our Miessence range has NO triclosan or any other harmful or synthetic chemical ingredient.

Miessence soap

As is my advice always, buy organic or natural, chemical and synthetic free products for your home and body and, support  local if you can.

Should chemicals be tested for human health before they are forced on unsuspecting consumers?

This issue begs the question, should chemicals in consumer products be tested for human health impacts before being allowed on the market?  Well of course they should but this would involve human trials, which consumer product manufacturers will argue are not commercially viable and they will tell you that doses are too small to be harmful to health…well that’s what they said about triclosan years ago!

The effect on animals and the environment

A chemical of such abundance that easily enters the waterways and therefore marine environment will inevitably have an impact on marine life and the health of these marine environments.  As a fat-soluble chemical (builds up in fatty tissues), scientists are concerned that it can biomagnify and appear at higher levels in the tissues of animals higher up the food chain.  Evidence of this possibility was found in 2009, when surveys of bottlenose dolphins found levels of triclosan in their blood high enough to be a concern and require further monitoring.  The US Environmental Protection Agency says that the EPS requires “pesticide registrants to add labeling statements indicating that triclosan is toxic to fish and other aquatic animals”.  Is this really enough!

Will you consider reading labels and avoiding products that contain Triclosan and other such chemicals?  If not for your health then consider the health of our marine environments and animals, that have no such choice.

Photo Credit: finishing-school via Compfight cc and  Keith Williamson/flickr
References and sources:
Beck, J., (2013), There Is No Proof That Antibacterial Soap Is Better Than Regular Soap, FDA Says, The Atlantic, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/there-is-no-proof-that-antibacterial-soap-is-better-than-regular-soap-fda-says/282410/
Dinwiddie, M. T., Terry, P. D., & Chen, J. (2014). Recent Evidence Regarding Triclosan and Cancer Risk. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health11(2), 2209–2217. doi:10.3390/ijerph110202209
Environmental Working group : http://www.ewg.org/
Fair, P. A., Lee, H.-B., Adams, J., Darling, C., Pacepavicius, G., Alaee, M., . . . Muir, D. (2009). Occurrence of triclosan in plasma of wild Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and in their environment. Environmental Pollution, 157(8–9), 2248-2254. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2009.04.002
Lee, H.-R., Hwang, K.-A., Nam, K.-H., Kim, H.-C., & Choi, K.-C. (2014). Progression of Breast Cancer Cells Was Enhanced by Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals, Triclosan and Octylphenol, via an Estrogen Receptor-Dependent Signaling Pathway in Cellular and Mouse Xenograft Models. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 27(5), 834-842. doi: 10.1021/tx5000156
Sui, P, (2014), Hong Kong to probe Colgate toothpaste over cancer-linked ingredient, The South China Monring Post, www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1572441/hong-kong-customs-probe-report-colgate-total-toothpaste-contains
Yueh, M.-F., Taniguchi, K., Chen, S., Evans, R. M., Hammock, B. D., Karin, M., & Tukey, R. H. (2014). The commonly used antimicrobial additive triclosan is a liver tumor promoter. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(48), 17200-17205. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1419119111