Redundant and potentially dangerous
Redundant and potentially dangerous
Yet another victory against chemicals that harm our health and the environment – this time, against one of my old arch enemies: triclosan. In the cosmetics industry, triclosan is mostly used in antibacterial shower gels and soaps, however they may appear in a number of other products including some toothpastes.
Reams of research papers have shown triclosan’s potential to disrupt the hormone system and hinder the development of foetuses and small babies. It’s also proven environmentally hazardous as it’s hardly degradable. Despite the overwhelming body of evidence, the use of triclosan is still lawful all around the world, including the European Union.
US authorities tend to be much more lenient then their EU counterparts when it comes to regualting chemicals used in the cosmetics industry. That makes their latest decision all the more surprising: they have given manufacturers and retailers 12 months to remove from their offering all shower gels and hand wash gels that contain triclosan.
Why?
I’ve already written about the fact that antibacterial soaps are not at all more effective than their conventional peers. In fact, they destroy your skin’s natural bacteria that make your body’s most important defence against infections and harmful chemicals. Some researchers have pointed to an even bigger problem i.e. that using such cosmetics may be linked to the emergence of antibiotics-resistant ‘superbacteria’.
Microbiologists fear that disease caused by antibiotics-resistant bacteria could become one of the biggest health risks of the 21. Century. That fear is also a key driver of important research into the antibacterial effects of essential oils.
According to the US health authorities, up to 2 million Americans fell sick in 2013 and more than 20,000 deaths were caused by infectious agents resistant to current drugs. That’s behind the decision to restrict the use of triclosan-based hand gels and shower gels – and to ultimately phase those products out of the market altogether.
Their advice is clear: they recommend that everyone wash with conventional soap. That’s the best way to prevent common infections.
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