This ‘banned’ toxin is still in lots of everyday products
Happy Fourth of July — our nationwide birthday party celebrating 241 years of independence!
Whether you’re off to the beach or firing up the grill in your own backyard, I hope you have a happy and safe holiday.
And here’s one way to stay safe that you probably weren’t expecting — stop washing your hands.
OK, not really! Just stop washing with any of those antibacterial soaps that promise to make your skin free of germs.
The chemical used in most of them, triclosan, has been under the microscope for some time now, and what researchers have found about how it can damage our health isn’t good at all.
In fact, over a year ago the FDA actually banned it, along with 17 other substances widely used in many different products.
The only problem is…it really didn’t.
Because triclosan is still around in plenty of items you, your kids, and your grandkids use every single day.
For close to a decade now, the FDA has been hemming and hawing where these germ-zapping chemicals are concerned.
But in a bureaucratic twist of logic, although the FDA has finally admitted that triclosan and over a dozen similar chemicals are not “recognized as safe and effective” and must be removed from soaps and body washes by September, it’s still allowing it in loads of things you put on your skin and even in your mouth, such as:
- shampoos
- toothpaste
- hand wipes
- deodorants
- hand creams
- shaving gels, and
- lotions
Actually, I could go on and on, the list is so long.
And on top of all these personal care items, there are lots of other ways you can come into contact with triclosan.
Because the chemical is also a registered pesticide, the Environmental Protection Agency is in charge when it comes to other things triclosan is added to — from socks and shoes to cutting boards, countertops, food storage containers, utensils, sponges, and children’s toys!
And the EPA hasn’t done a darn thing to get the triclosan out.
Now, simply not being “effective” is one thing, but studies have clearly shown that triclosan is also far from safe.
University of California researchers discovered years ago that the chemical can promote liver cancer. All it took was six months of exposure for lab mice to start showing both inflammation and abnormal cell reactions that are linked to the development of this deadly cancer.
Other research has found it can cause hormonal changes in people, damaging our reproductive systems and thyroid function. And the higher the amount of triclosan in your body, the more likely you are to start reacting to allergens.
While some manufacturers have already removed the chemical from hand and body soaps, that doesn’t mean you can let your guard down where trying to avoid it is concerned. There could still be plenty of the triclosan-added soaps left in the store, and if you commonly buy such items, it could be sitting right under your bathroom sink.
You also need to watch out for a related chemical called triclocarban… and be suspicious of anything that claims it has been treated to resist bacteria.
Just a couple of weeks ago, over 200 scientists from around the world signed a statement asking for an international reduction in the use of triclosan and triclocarban, also requesting that anything that contains it to be clearly labeled.
Along with that, the Environmental Working Group is also asking our federal watchdogs to ban these chemicals from everything, not just those pump hand soaps.
And finally, I should note that getting those soaps off the shelf this fall won’t be any loss when it comes to washing germs off your hands.
For that purpose, nothing beats good old soap and water, which have done a fine job of keeping our hands clean for a long time now. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
“Group urges tougher limits on chemical in soaps, cosmetics” Alan Mozes, June 20, 2017, HealthDay News, upi.com
