Triclosan in antibacterial soaps, toothpaste has never received safety approval from FDA

Triclosan in antibacterial soaps, toothpaste has never received safety approval from FDA


(NaturalNews) It is added to hundreds of consumer products ranging from
hand soaps and body washes to toothpastes and even children's toys, but
it has never received formal safety approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). And even though the chemical industry claims that the
antibacterial chemical triclosan is safe and effective, there is simply
no substantial evidence to prove this, and plenty of evidence to show
that triclosan is dangerous.

In fact, so much evidence has
emerged in recent years showing the dangers of triclosan that consumer
advocacy groups have been increasingly putting pressure on the FDA to
conduct the safety reviews on the chemical that it should have conducted
decades ago. The non-profit group Natural Resources Defense Council
(NRDC) actually had to file a lawsuit to get the FDA to act, and the
agency is now expected to conduct its review later this fall after years
of obvious stalling.

But the crux of the issue is that triclosan
was never actually approved for consumer use under the law as it should
have been, despite the fact that the chemical has now been in
widespread use for more than three decades. The FDA's own website
explains that there is no evidence showing triclosan is any better than
simple soap and water at eradicating bacteria, and yet many conventional
hand soaps on the market today contain it anyway.

"In 1978, the
FDA published its first tentative guidelines for chemicals used in
liquid hand soaps and washes," explains a recent Associated Press (AP) article on the issue. "The draft stated that triclosan
was 'not generally recognized as safe and effective,' because
regulators could not find enough scientific research demonstrating its
safety and effectiveness."

This draft, however, was never
actually finalized. And neither were any of the other drafts the FDA
crafted in subsequent years. Only in 1997 did the FDA eventually grant
approval for triclosan's use in a consumer product, but it was strictly
for Colgate Total toothpaste in 1997. As far as all the other products
triclosan is currently added to, the FDA has never approved such uses,
nor has it affirmed that the chemical is safe or effective in such
products.

Triclosan linked to endocrine disruption, brain damage and cancer

None
of this would be all that concerning if triclosan was merely
ineffective at performing its stated function. But research has shown
that exposure to triclosan can lead to a host of negative consequences,
including severe hormone disruption, brain damage, and even several
types of cancer. Triclosan has also been shown to damage the
environment, as it is one of the most frequently detected chemicals in
streams and other waterways throughout the U.S.

"Triclosan and
triclocarbon are antibacterial chemicals commonly added to consumer
products ... (and) they have been shown to disrupt hormones and can
encourage the growth of drug-resistant bacteria or 'superbugs,'"
explains NRDC in its chemical
index. "Animal studies have shown both of these chemicals can interfere
with hormones critical for normal development and function of the brain
and reproductive systems ... (and) triclosan has been associated with
lower levels of thyroid hormone and testosterone, which could result in
altered behavior, learning disabilities, or infertility."

Be sure to check out the NRDC chemical index for more information about both triclosan and triclocarbon:
http://www.nrdc.org/living/chemicalindex/triclosan.asp

source:-
http://www.naturalnews.com/040298_triclosan_antibacterial_soaps_FDA_review.html