FDA Bans Triclosan & 18 Other Antibacterial Soap Ingredients
Dr. Josh Axe
With mountains of data suggesting the antibacterial soap chemical triclosan is a toxic ripoff and completely unnecessary for everyday use, the Food and Drug Administration finally announced its banning the ingredient in consumer hand and body washes. As the FDA bans triclosan and related antibacterial soap chemicals, manufacturers have one year to remove it and 18 other antibacterial ingredients from products (or pull products containing these ingredients from store shelves).
FDA Bans Triclosan: the Details
For years, even the FDA admitted that regular soap and water proved just as effective as antibacterial soaps without the harmful side effects, urging everyday people to skip out on the overkill of using antibacterial soap. (1) One of the major concerns? It became increasingly clear that using antibiotic soaps contributed to antibiotic resistance. The more we expose germs to germ-fighting substances like antibiotics and antibacterial soaps, the better they adapt. Natures good at that. So by the time the FDA finally moved to ban triclosan and related compounds in early September 2016, antibiotic resistance exploded into a full-blown global health crisis.
In 2013, the FDA issued a rule requiring companies to provide data proving antibacterial chemicals were safe and effective. In addition, they had to demonstrate antibacterial products were superior to non-antibacterial ones in regards to preventing human illness or reducing infection. (And they had to use data from clinical trials.) Companies werent able to do this, according to the FDA.
That prompted many companies to start voluntarily pulling triclosan from their products and replacing them with other antibacterial chemicals not on the FDAs current ban list. (This begs the question, are we just replacing one list of dangerous ingredients with another?)
So as the FDA bans triclosan & related compounds, including triclocarban (triclosans cousin found in antibacterial bar soap) heres are the main takeaways:
The active ingredients involved in this FDA antibacterial ingredient ban include: cloflucarban, fluorosalan, hexachlorophene, hexylresorcinol, iodine complex (ammonium ether sulfate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate), iodine complex (phosphate ester of alkylaryloxy polyethylene glycol), nonylphenoxypoly (ethyleneoxy) ethanoliodine, poloxamer-iodine complex, povidone-iodine 5 to 10 percent, undecoylium chloride iodine complex, methylbenzethonium chloride, phenol (greater than 1.5 percent), phenol (less than 1.5 percent) 16, secondary amyltricresols, sodium oxychlorosene, tribromsalan, triclocarban, triclosan, triple dye Manufacturers will have one year to comply with the rulemaking by removing products from the market or reformulating (removing antibacterial active ingredients) these products
This FDA ban applies to over-the-counter consumer hand soaps and body washes . It does not ban the uses of these antibacterial soap chemicals sanitizers or wipes, or in soaps used in hospital or food service settings.
The FDA is allowing one more year before ruling on three other antibacterial ingredients in consumer soaps and body washes benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol (PCMX) Consumer antibacterial washes containing these specific ingredients may be marketed during this time while data are being collected. (2, 3)
Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water. Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the FDAs Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
FDA Bans Triclosan: What Took So Long?
Let me be clear: Whenever FDA makes a decision that favors public health over corporations, we need to take a moment and applaud that effort. But lets not forget thats the agencys job. And over the years, theres been quite a bit of evidence suggesting triclosan should not have found its way into everyday products in the first place. As the FDA bans triclosan today, its important to notes that weve known for quite some time that its one of worst endocrine disruptors to date. It threatens the efficacy of our lifesaving antibiotics. And it begs the question: Why are questionable ingredients allowed on the market? Why is the FDA allowing the American public to be guinea pigs?
While scientists hunkered down to bring us years of data, organizations like Environmental Working Group conducted research and even built the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database to help consumers figure out the dangers of everyday personal care products. In a first-of-its kind study, in 2008, EWG found triclosan and 15 other toxic chemicals in blood and urine of 20 teen girls from eight states and the District of Columbia.
EWG research found industry adding this sketchy, endocrine-disrupting germ killer to all kinds of soaps and even to toothpaste. Nine years ago we found it at disturbing levels in San Francisco Bay.
Worse yet, EWG studies detected the stuff in breast milk and in bodies of teenage girls. Clearly this is an industry that needed a good, swift kick in the triclosan. It took far too long, but
the FDA delivered. Ken Cook, co-found and president of EWG
As the FDA bans triclosan, its a good time to look back on its ties to numerous health and environmental problems:
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Poster Comment:
The article has a laundry list of bad chemicals to avoid.