EPA Considers Banning Triclosan, A Common Anti-Bacterial in Soap

If you're watching your weight, you read labels in the snack aisle.

If you're watching your hormones, you read labels in the soap and toothpaste aisle. Or at least you should be.

Triclosan is a pesticide that has become ubiquitous in consumer products. It can be found in everything from about 50 percent of all consumer soaps to deodorant, cutting boards and clothing; basically most products labeled "anti-bacterial" or "anti-microbial" (Check the ingredient list).

Unbeknown to most shoppers, triclosan poses serious personal health, public health and environmental concerns. It is an endocrine disruptor which research has linked to increased allergies, cancer and reproductive effects. Doctors worry its increased use is also breeding bacteria with increased resistance to medical antibiotics.

What's scary is that triclosan is already found in the urine of 75 percent of the population today. It also gets into our rivers and water bodies, throwing aquatic ecosystems out of whack because it is toxic to algae. Even more frustrating, in many cases, triclosan is entirely unnecessary. An expert FDA panel, for example, concluded in 2005 that anti-bacterial soap is no more effective in washing away germs than regular soap and water. Rather, it's an effectiveness is more as a marketing ploy in an age of the super flu.

While groups have raised these concerns for years, it looks like finally, their concerns are getting traction with federal regulators.

Almost a year ago, 86 groups, led by Beyond Pesticides and Food & Water Watch, filed a petition with U.S. EPA asking the agency (which shares regulatory oversight with FDA and the Consumer Products Safety Commission) to consider banning the anti-bacterial agent for non-medical uses. While both agencies do testing and regulate marketing claims, neither restrict the use of triclosan in consumer products.

Recently, the agency finally decided to consider their request. Right now, it has opened up the request for comments from the public.

It's about time.

Japan and Canada have already banned triclosan in consumer products, and the EU has classified it as a dangerous irritant that persists in the environment. In the U.S., however, EPA has not gotten in front of the issue, and has allowed triclosan to proliferate in our environment before fully understanding the risks (a frequent problem with other chemicals, too, such as BPA). The FDA, which oversees the chemical in some consumer and food products, has, according to The Washington Post, been working on unfinished triclosan rules for a whopping 38 years. Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey last week called both EPA and FDA out on their slow response and demanded a ban in consumer products.

If you are worried about the clear risks of triclosan, it's important to submit your comments to EPA before the open comment period closes on February 7th. You can bet the Soap and Detergent Association (which in June literally greenwashed its name to the much prettier "American Cleaning Institute") will be commenting. The trade group represents a $30 billion industry and has argued that the concerns about triclosan are unfounded.

Still, some consumer business are taking heed. Colgate-Palmolive, maker of the Softsoap brand, recently began phasing triclosan out of its handsoaps, in favor of a cleaning agent that is far less toxic.

It's better that EPA hear it in your own words. You can submit your own comments by going to regulations.gov and clicking on "Submit a Comment."

Or, if you'd rather, you can also sign our letter in support of a triclosan ban, which will also be delivered to EPA.

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