Death by Hand Soap: Triclosan Poisons You, Me, and the Planet

Triclosan, an antimicrobial agent, winds up in a host of household products from face wash to dish liquid to deodorant. It's the stuff that makes antibacterial hand soap, well, antibacterial. In the germ-o-phobic society we live in, the chemical is literally everywhere.

Despite the ubiquity of triclosan, evidence shows that the substance is actually pretty toxic. For one, it's a registered pesticide. As if that fact alone isn't enough to clue manufacturers in to triclosan's dangers, let's examine the science: Studies show that triclosan can spawn more potent strains of bacteria. These strains are oftentimes resistant to antibacterials and antibiotics, creating drug-resistant diseases like MRSA. Research also shows that triclosan can increase allergies in children, and the stuff is toxic to aquatic life.

Further research paints an even grimmer picture of triclosan. According to Food & Water Watch, the substance "affects reproduction in lab animals, produces toxic chemicals such as dioxin and chloroform when it reacts with other chemicals like the chlorine in water, irritates skin in humans and might even cause cancer." All this from a chemical that's supposed to make soaps better for you.

Scared yet? It gets worse. Because so many of these triclosan-loaded products — like hand soap, dish liquid, and face wash — end up washing down drains and into waterways, the chemical gets all up on our food, water, and even household dust. Scientists detected triclosan in 55 percent of America's rivers and 75 percent of Americans' bodies. It's a situation that poses huge health risks both for humans and for aquatic life like fish and algae.

What's worse is that many experts agree that personal care products don't even need triclosan in order to effectively destroy germs. According to Food & Water Watch, in 2005, an FDA advisory panel voted 11 to one that antibacterial soaps weren't any more effective in fighting infections than plain, ol' soap and water. It's just a clever marketing technique designed to get folks to open their wallets and spread the stuff all over their bodies. What they don't know, though, is that triclosan ends up on far more than our hands — it taints food and water supplies, too.

Triclosan has earned itself such a poor reputation that governments abroad are starting to crack down on the substance. Both Japan and Canada restrict triclosan's use. Denmark, Finland, and Germany have advised consumers not to use antibacterial products, while the European Union classifies triclosan as an irritant that's dangerous to the environment and aquatic organisms.

The U.S., though, has made no such restrictions. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered triclosan as a pesticide, and the chemical is completely unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is why it ends up in so many personal care products.

The FDA is starting to finally examine this chemical, and the EPA is considering a triclosan ban. (You can speak out against triclosan by submitting a comment to the EPA here). However, enacting legislation can take a long time. While we all wait patiently, triclosan continues to poison our food and water supply.

Several companies are taking it upon themselves to enact their own triclosan ban. A number of soap manufacturers refuse to use the stuff, while stores like The Body Shop and Ikea won't carry products containing triclosan.

Whole Foods is one store that claims to put the health of the environment and consumers first. But despite its green ideals, the store fails to ban triclosan-loaded products from its shelves.

by Sarah Parsons