US Bans Common Chemicals in Antibacterial Soaps - Chyeena Zandamela

I have recently read an article, which was posted on Scientific American’s website, entitled “US Bans Common Chemicals in Antibacterial Soaps.” This publication details why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has, as of September 2nd, banned 19 active ingredients in antibacterial soaps. I was interested to read about this, because, like many people, I use antibacterial soaps occasionally. Up until know, I thought having and carrying them around was a safe and practical thing to do. Unfortunately, it appears that, with the intentions of being hygienic and healthy, I have been using a product with the main antibacterial agent being a chemical so harmful, the FDA decided it needed to be listed its recent nationwide chemical ban.

This decision that the FDA has made is significant, because one of the prohibited chemicals is considered a key ingredient in antibacterial soaps; Triclosan. According to Janet Woodcock, the Director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the FDA has found no scientific evidence that antibacterial soaps are better than regular soap and water. In fact, she even goes even further to say that “some data suggests that [triclosan] may do more harm than good over the long-term.”

Triclosan was originally used in hospitals before being introduced to the general public in the 1960’s. Because of growing fears infections among people, it became very popular, and could be found anywhere from toothpaste to clothing. However, this was not growing concerns from the FDA. The battle leading up to the decision to ban this controversial chemical has been a long and and heated one. Finally, health and environmental organizations won the case by providing four decades of research proving the existence of the unnecessary, ineffective, and more importantly, potentially harmful nature of triclosan.

One major potential danger of triclosan is that it may be making bacterium resistant to antibiotics. Unlike soap, which removes germs from the skin, triclosan targets a bacteria’s specific molecular pathway in order to kill them. Scientists fear that if a bacterium mutates and develops a resistance to triclosan, (which would keep triclosan from destroying the molecular pathway it’s targeting in the bacterium) it could also become resistant to antibiotics that kill the bacteria by destroying the same molecular pathway that triclosan targeted. For example, this could happen if triclosan were to target an “enzyme that plays a key role in bacterial metabolism—the same pathway that the tuberculosis-fighting antibiotic isoniazid targets.” This already could be the case, as one study found that 7 strains of Listeria were resistant to the chemicals in antibacterial soaps. Another reason the FDA decided to prohibit triclosan was due to the multiple research studies suggesting that it may inhibit the human body from functioning normally. While these studies have inconsistent results concerning triclosan’s immediate danger to human health, some animal studies have shown that it likely disrupts hormones in the body, which can lead to certain cancers. Studies such of these raise major concerns, because antibacterial soaps, often containing triclosan, are easily absorbed into the body. In fact, according to one study in 2004, 75% of Americans have triclosan in their urine. Unfortunately, it takes decades to perish; Not only bad news for humans, but making triclosan a very harmful threat to the environment as well; The final reason the article as cause for the ban. Triclosan often ends up in wastewater plants, where it converts into harmful dioxins. Triclosan related dioxins have been found in several bodies of water, including the Mississippi River and several lakes in Minnesota. As a result, Minnesota decided to declare a state-wide restriction on triclosan, prior to the FDA’s nationwide chemical ban.

Even though there is years of research warning of tricosan’s potential danger, according to some scientists, none of these studies provide logical grounds to prohibit the chemical nationwide. Although he believes the public should be denied access to triclosan, Bruce Hammock, a toxicologist at the University of California, Davis, believes animal tests are unreliable for collecting data regarding humans. He, along with many others, also believes there could be positive aspects of  triclosan, going on to say “No drug is all good or all bad, everything is a benefit/risk equation.”

Despite having one of their main chemicals banned, antibacterial soap companies plan on keeping their products available. Benzalkonium chloride, chloroxylenol and benzethonium chloride will be soon replacing triclosan on the ingredients list. Although all of these chemicals are not approved by the FDA, antibacterial soap companies will be given a year to provide research, ensuring they are not harmful. However, health officials fear these chemicals will be just as dangerous as triclosan.

The FDA ban on triclosan and other dangerous common chemicals will hopefully have an impact on the health of those who frequently use antibacterial soaps. If 75% of Americans had triclosan in their urine in 2004, I cannot even imagine how many people’s bodies are carrying alarmingly high amounts of the chemical, given the popularity of antibacterial sanitizers on the market today. The fact that there has been numerous tests showing that triclosan could affect certain hormones and lead to cancers, makes me wonder why it was allowed to flourish in the industry for so long. One would think that antibacterial soaps would be banned altogether after these numerous discoveries. Instead, these companies are replacing triclosan with chemicals that are likely just as harmful. The fact that health officials are worried about the safety of these chemicals new to the antibacterial soap industry, leads me to believe there will be cases against them presented to the FDA down the road, turning the fight against these the multi-billion dollar industry into a never ending legal battle. But perhaps there will be some good coming out of this mess. All the talk surrounding the ban of triclosan and other dangerous chemicals could lead to another green or health “revolution.” At the very least, maybe the all this media attention the decision is receiving will make consumers more aware of the dangerous chemicals and toxins lurking within everyday products, Hopefully we’ll all think twice the next we are confronted with the decision of purchasing an antibacterial soap at the store; I know I will.

For more information, the article can be found at:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-bans-common-chemicals-in-antibacterial-soaps/