Triclosan has been getting a lot of attention, especially since the 2016 FDA ban in hand soaps, due to evidence of hormone disruption and lack of clinical effectiveness. While U.S. manufacturers have responded by removing the chemical where required, it is still present in many products including some toothpastes, cleaning products, and cosmetics. However, little data is available on levels of exposure in children, despite the fact that the early years of life are a particularly vulnerable time for the development of body systems.

New findings from the multiphase Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment Study determine that levels of triclosan do in fact increase in the bodies of children after they brush their teeth or wash their hands. Researchers tested the urine of 389 mothers and their children, finding triclosan metabolites in 70 percent of the samples. There was a direct correlation between the amount of handwashing and teeth brushing with the level of triclosan concentration. The study was published this month in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

More than 200 scientists and medical professionals have come together to issue an urgent call to only use antimicrobial chemicals, including triclosan and triclocarban, when they provide an evidence-based health benefit. Health Care Without Harm advises that their use be discontinued.

In September, Practice Greenhealth will launch a Hand Soaps Challenge, encouraging health care institutions to eliminate the use of triclosan in the health care supply chain.

[Source: Environmental Health News]