July 29, 2007 | Health, Pregnancy

Triclosan (not to be confused with Tryptophan - an amino acid in turkey that makes you sleepy) is one of the active ingredients of most anti-bacterials - 75% in fact. But a March study said that the triclosan in those products breaks down rapidly in chlorinated water and produces toxic chemicals including chloroform! One study tested 16 household products containing Triclosan, and all of them produced either chloroform or other chlorine byproducts when epxosed to tap water.

A study done in Sweden found Triclosan in an average of 3 in 5 samples of human breast milk they tested. That means that this stuff is not just seeping into your skin and staying there, it’s being passed to every organ in your body (including your baby, if pregnant or nursing).

Now that I have your attention, wanna know what it does? First, the EPA registers it as a pesticide. So if you want to lather up your hands with a pesticide, go ahead. That’s your choice. It’s also a known hormone disruptor, which means it can alter the way your body uses and produces hormones, and also change your genetic material and/or foster birth defects. Finally, it’s a chorolphenol, a class of chemicals suspected of causing cancer in humans.

The amount of triclosan in your antibacterial soap probably isn’t enough to do much damage. And that’s why it’s still on the market (though, triclosan-containing products have been removed from British and Chinese stores). But the other thing you need to know about triclosan is that it’s stored in your body’s fatty tissue, and over time it builds up there - depending on how many products you use that contain triclosan.

So, care to know where triclosan is in use? We’re naming names people - and we don’t do that often!

• Soaps: Dial liquid soap, Soft soap antibacterial hand soap, Tea Tree therapy liquid soap, Provon soap, Clearasil daily face wash, Dermatalogica Skin purifying wipes, Clean and Clear foaming facial cleanser, DermaKleen antibacterial lotion soap, Naturade Aloe Vera 80 antibacterial soap, CVS antibacterial soap, pHisoderm antibacterial skin cleanser
• Dental care: Colgate Total, Breeze Triclosan Mouthwash, Reach antibacterial toothbrush, Janina Diamond Whitening toothpaste
• Cosmetics: Supre Cafe Bronzer, TotalSkinCare makeup kit, Garden Botanika Powder foundation, Mavala lip base, Jason natural cosmetics, Blemish cover stick, Movate skin litening cream HQ, Paul Mitchell detangler comb, Revlon ColorStay LipSHINE Lip color plus gloss, Dazzle
• Deodorant: Old Spice High Endurance Stick deodorant, Right Guard sport deodorant, Queen Helene Tea Tree Oil Deodorant and Aloe Deodorant, Nature de France le Stick Natural Stick Deodorant, DeCleor Deodorant Stick, Epoch Deodorant with Citrisomes, X Air Maximum Strength Deodorant
• Other personal care products: Gillette Complete Skin Care MultiGel Aerosol Shave Gel, Murad Acne Complex Kit, Diabet-X Cream, T. Taio Sponges and Wipes, Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel
• First Aid: SyDERMA skin protectant plus first aid antiseptic, Solarcaine, First Aid medicated spray, Nexcare First Aid, Skin Crack Care, First Aid/Burn Cream, HealWell Night Splint, 11-1X1: Universal Cervical Collar with Microban
• Kitchenware: Farberware Microban Steak Knife set and Cutting board, Franklin Machine products FMP Ice Cream Scoop SZ20 Microban, Hobart semi-automatic slicer, Chix food service wipes with microban, Compact Web Foot Wet Mop Heads
• Computer Equipment: Fellowes Cordless Microban Keyboard and Microban Mouse Pad
• Clothes: Teva Sandals, Merrell Shoes, Sabatier Chef’s Apron, Dickies Socks, Fruit of the Loom socks, Biofresh socks
• Children’s Toys: Playskool (all of the following: stack and scoop whale, rockin’ radio, hourglass, sounds around driver, roll ‘n’ rattle ball, animal sounds phone, busy beads pal, pop ‘n’ spin top, lights ‘n’ surprise laptop),
• Other: Bionnaire coolmist humidifier, Microban all-weather reinforced hose, Thomasvile Furniture, Deciguard AB earplugs, Bauer 5000 helmet,
  Aquatic whirlpools, Miller Paint Interior paint, QVC collapsible 40 can cooler, Holmes Foot Buddy foot warmer, Blue Mountain wall coverings, California Paints, EHC AMRail Escalator handrails, Dupont air filters, Durelle Carpet Cushions, Advanta One laminate floors, San Luis blankets, J Cloth towels, JERMEX mops.

Now that’s a whole lotta stuff with Triclosan in it. (The list above is from Beyond Pesticides.) You can check the products you use (personal care products are required to list their ingredients) - look for triclosan, microban, or irgasan. Over 95% of triclosan products in daily use are washed down the drain. According to the US Geological Survey, triclosan is one of the most frequently detected compounds, and at some of the highest concentrations observed. It is highly toxic to marine life, including algae, which is a foundation of the ecosystem.

For more general information about Antibacterials, read Part 1 of this series here.

If you’re convinced that you need antibacterial something (in spite of what the CDC says about washing hands properly without the need for antibacterials), try an alcohol-based antibacterial gel (but keep it out of reach of children) or something like CleanWell, that uses thyme’s natural antibacterial properties.

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1. Holly Shaw says:

   
   

   This is in regards to Tirclosan:
   I sale products that are made to not harber bacteria for countertops because of how it is made. We do so by not adding Triclosan. Mine is a quartz countertop called Hanstone. The process to make my countertop makes it non-porious. My biggest competitor Silistone(for the most part is the same process) adds Triclosan for an advertising purposes and I think it is just awful that they are just harming all of us by doing so. When I came across an article by chance about this I use it against them everyday to educate US citizens what a horrible product Triclosan/Microban is. Thanks for being active in educating us all….

   September 5th, 2007 at 8:00 pm

2. Hope says:

   
   

   This website should be spread out and have better understandings of what exactly means triclosan. It’s very har to read and understand when it’s all pushed together. !!!!

   April 17th, 2008 at 12:18 pm

3. grazie says:

   
   

   i am 7 months old pregnant and im having rashes. my OB said it is ok to use Fissan Prickly Heat powder. it contains zinc oxide, labilin and triclosan. why would she recommend it if its harmful to my baby?

   June 24th, 2008 at 11:59 pm

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