Avoid dangerous antibacterial soaps, toothpaste, scientists warn
Many people look for the words “antibacterial” in hand sanitizer, soaps and toothpaste, but on Tuesday hundreds of scientists and health professionals warned that products containing antimicrobials like triclosan can be dangerous and should be avoided.
Dr. Laura Geer, associate professor and chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, said in a statement that antimicrobial substances added to common household products can potentially disrupt the human endocrine system and are known to linger in the environment. On top of that, antibacterial soaps work no better than plain soap and water.
Geer was one of many experts who signed onto the “Florence Statement on Triclosan and Triclocarban,” published on Tuesday in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Triclosan, triclocarban and more than a dozen other antimicrobial chemicals are used in thousands of personal care and consumer products as well as in building materials. In response to a lawsuit by National Resources Defense Council, in September 2016 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that these antimicrobials can no longer be used in consumer soaps due to a lack of evidence that they are effective and safe.