Levels of the chemical triclosan have increased in humans by an average of 50 percent since 2004, according to newly updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Meanwhile, a new study out of the University of Toledo has found that both triclosan and triclocarban can enter the food chain through of the use of contaminated wastewater or fertilizer in agricultural fields.
Each of these findings on its own is troubling, but together they make the case for banning the two chemicals even stronger, according to health experts at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment.
Triclosan and triclocarban are found in consumer and personal care products, such as hand soap, labeled antibacterial or antimicrobial. But the two chemicals are suspected endocrine disruptors that can interfere with hormones needed for the brain and reproductive system to develop properly. The NRDC says that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has admitted that using hand soap containing these chemicals actually does not work any better than regular soap. Last week, the NRDC sued the FDA to force the agency to issue a final rule on the safety and effectiveness of the two chemicals that has been three decades in the making.
Updated data added this week to the CDC’s National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals found that levels of triclosan in the U.S. population have increased by an average of 50 percent in all age groups, both genders and all reported ethnicities. People over 20 years of age, females and Mexican-Americans are the most highly exposed. continue reading
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