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The Food and Drug Administration is taking a closer look at triclosan, a chemical added to many hand sanitizers, antibacterial soaps, toothpastes, dishwashing liquids and other consumer goods to help kill bacteria and prevent odors -- we've looked at it before. Which sounds like exactly what you'd want a hand sanitizer or toothpaste to do -- but FDA says new research suggests triclosan might do more harm than good.
The Washington Post reported last week that FDA is worried about studies that suggest triclosan could be an endocrine disrupting chemical (like everyone's favorite toxin, bisphenol A, or BPA), meaning it can interfere with normal hormonal development and activity, especially when exposure occurs during sensitive developmental windows, like pregnancy and early childhood.
Triclosan may also help to create bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. And a 2005 evidence review found that antibacterial soaps aren't any more effective than regular soap and water.
Hmm, a host of sketchy potential health effects and no guarantee that it does what it claims? The FDA is saying that they don't have enough data yet to recommend avoiding products with triclosan (they expect to issue a new report in spring 2011), but I'll pass all the same, thanks.
The good news is that it's fairly easy to steer clear by checking a product's ingredient label. A couple of greener, triclosan-free alternatives: Burt's Bees Aloe & Witch Hazel Hand Sanitizer, CleanWell, which uses thyme and other essential oils to kill 99.99 percent of germs; For My Kids, which offers a vinegar-based disinfectant; and Clean George, which gets the job done with tea tree and manuka oil.
For more on the dangers of triclosan, check out the Environmental Working Group's guide and comprehensive list of triclosan-free products. And remember that my great-grandma always said (admittedly, in a pre-anthrax world) that you have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.
