There’s A Frog Disruptor In My Soap
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11. 7.06
We’ve all seen the personal care items that proclaim the equivalent of ‘Kills Bacteria On Contact,’ or, ‘Kills the Germs That Cause Bad Breath.’ There’s a whole conversation we could start about whether sterile lifestyles…the sort that get enforced with bactericides in personal care and cleaning products… could have an adverse impact on childhood immune system development and allergic response. But, we’ll leave that topic for later. This post is focused on the environmental risk versus the human health benefit of adding the bacteriocide Triclosan to soaps and lotions. (A list of consumer products containing triclosan is presented below.) We're focused on this more narrow question because of a recently studied consequence of triclosan in freshwater environments. Triclosan, widely used in soaps and toothpastes for its ability to kill bacteria, has been found to hasten the transformation of tadpoles into adult frogs. The new research, "published online September 29 in Aquatic Toxicology , is the first to show that triclosan can act as an endocrine disrupter at concentrations found in North American streams... More than 55% of streams examined in 2002 had a median concentration of 0.14 parts per billion (ppb) (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36, 2322–2329)". The concern is not just with aquatic life, due to triclosan’s structural similarity to thyroid hormones, which orchestrate growth and development in wildlife and humans.
So, why is a powerful bactericide included in a large number of personal care and cleaning products? Did some focus group indicate a nation-wide demand to get this in our mouths and on our skin? Before you offer a comment, consider this. Liquid products with no intrinsic anti-bacterial properties may have a shortened shelf life and product quality problems stemming from biodegradation. (Remarkably, even industrial lubricating oils and greases need to have anti-bacterial compounds added to prevent spoilage.) The obvious question would be: is Triclosan primarily added as a consumer product preservative? Or, is its addition mainly because of the ability to do marketing based on health claims? If the former, it would be USEPA regulated as a pesticide. If the latter, it would most likely be FDA regulated. We wonder if the eco-toxicological implications of triclosan in sewerage treatment plant overflows and in landfill leachate will get USEPA’s attention now, regardless of how it currently is being regulated?
The following partial list of Triclosan-containing personal care products was obtained from the Household Products Database.
Noxzema Triple Clean Antibacterial Lathering Cleanser
Colgate Total Toothpaste, Fresh Stripe
Revlon ColorStay LipSHINE Lipcolor Plus Gloss, Solar
Gentle Antibacterial Body Soap with Moisture Beads
Clearasil Daily Face Wash
Shield Deodorant Soap Bar, Surf Scent
Softsoap Gentle Antibacterial Body Wash with Vitamins
Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel
Softsoap Fruit Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap
Right Guard Sport, Deodorant Aerosol, Fresh
Right Guard Sport, Clear Stick Deodorant
Suave Deodorant Soap, Antibacterial
Old Spice High Endurance Stick Deodorant,
pHisoderm Antibacterial Skin Cleanser
Softsoap Liquid Antibacterial Body Soap
Clean and Smooth Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap
Old Spice Red Zone Antiperspirant & Deodorant
Colgate Total Toothpaste
Revlon ColorStay LipSHINE Lipcolor Plus Gloss
New Vaseline Brand Intensive Care Antibacterial Hand Lotion
Lever 2000 Soap Bar Antibacterial
Lever 2000 Deodorant Soap Bar
Imina Lathering Facial Cleanser
Softsoap 2 in 1 Antibacterial Hand Soap Plus Moisturizing Lotion
Softsoap Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap with Light Moisturizers
Right Guard Sport, Deodorant Aerosol
Suave Liquid Hand Soap, Antibacterial
Bath & Body Instant AntiBacterial Hand Gel-Freesia
Dial Liquid Antibacterial Soap, Original Formula
Clean and Smooth Kitchen Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap
I actively avoid soaps and cleansers that claim to be anti-bacterial for the reasons listed above. But looking at this list I realize I still regularly use at least 3 products that have Triclosan (before today I didn't know the name of the offending ingredient). If anything these manufacturers should be required to warn consumers that a product contains anti-bacterial agents. Until then Triclosan is one more thing I will look out for on labels!
I'll point out that the purpose of the Clearasil face wash is to kill the germs that cause acne; it needs to have antibiotics to function properly. I don't know whether it needs this particular antibiotic, but it does need them.
i only use ORGANIC soaps and cleansers. they are much safer and they clean just as good.
I've only got one of those "offenders" in my house, and it's just been introduced to the other harmful, toxin-laden chemicals that I store in a box until my municipality begins taking them in for proper disposal (because pouring them down the sink or putting them into the landfill will still release the triclosan).
A note about the necessity of antibacterial chemicals in acne washes; alcohol and a number of peroxides (such as benzoyl peroxide) work just as well, as does salicylic acid (which can be derived from an elm bark).
One of the authors of the study is my biochemistry professor, and she gave our class an excellent lecture about triclosan and why we should really make an effort to avoid products that contain this nasty endocrine disrupter.
The worst problem with triclosan is not its use on soaps. In fact, triclosan is used in deodorants and also in a huge category os producst from Brazilian perfum industry called "deo-colony". The exposition of the environmmmet due to these lasta two categories (deodorants and deo-colony) are much more important than its use in sopas and cleansing products.