Triclosan claims are hard to wash away

Manufacturers argue that hand soap that contains triclosan cleans your hands better than do soaps that don’t have it. However, a few lawmakers want Food and Drug Administration to ban triclosan in soaps, because they fear health risks. The truth seems to fall somewhere in between.

Triclosan’s first use was for surgical scrubs in hospitals, but the chemical now is put in kitchen cutting boards, soap and toothpaste. Studies show that triclosan hampers thyroid hormones in frogs and rats, and other studies suggest that it can make some bacteria resistant to antibiotics.

But FDA in 2010 said it had no sufficient evidence to recommend against consumer use of products that include triclosan, and it approved Colgate Total’s claim that the chemical in toothpaste helps to fight gingivitis. Still, a few manufacturers removed the chemical from their soaps under heat from lawmakers and consumer groups. The heat continues.

Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., called triclosan a health threat based on studies that relate to the compound’s antibiotic resistance. She and other lawmakers want FDA to further weigh in on triclosan’s safety.

Brian Sansoni of American Cleaning Institute, which represents manufacturers of cleaning products, says those concerns are unfounded. He says triclosan has been used for at least 40 years in hospitals and 20 years in consumer products with no documented problems in humans.

However, in 2005, an FDA advisory panel determined that soaps that contain triclosan were no more effective at preventing illness than were soaps that didn’t have it. Considering FDA’s stance on triclosan’s efficacy, you might want to bypass products that contain the ingredient. Body washes, soaps and toothpastes will list triclosan among the ingredients.