By Kate Fried, senior communications manager at Food & Water Watch
In my time working for Food & Water Watch I’ve learned quite a bit about the risks posed to consumers through the products we use everyday. It’s also taught me that the government can’t always be trusted to keep us safe, and that products sometimes enter stores before it’s been proven that they won’t mess up our endocrine systems or cause us to develop cancer. Those of you who have been following our triclosan campaign may appreciate this too.
Recently, word surfaced that the Food and Drug Administration, which has been reviewing safety concerns relating to triclosan since April of 2010, will extend its assessment of the chemical after several animal studies have shown that it may disrupt hormone levels and cause antibiotic resistance.
Of course, if you’ve been following our triclosan campaign, you know that Food & Water Watch has already raised these concerns many times, so revelations of triclosan’s potential hazards isn’t news to you. After all, we’ve been asking the government to step up and protect consumers from the chemical for over two years. Some of you may even recall our recent petition to Bath and Body Works asking them to stop selling products containing triclosan.
An article in last week’s New York Times also highlights what you may already know: that triclosan isn’t necessary to many of the products it’s featured in, and is no more effective in killing germs than soap and water. It also reminds us that some companies such as Colgate-Palmolive have started replacing triclosan with other chemicals.
To me, this raises a question: why are we using triclosan at all if it can so easily be replaced with a less controversial ingredient? Why not err on the safe side and remove it from all consumer products? And, for that matter, why is the federal government just now looking into the possibility that triclosan might not be as safe as once thought? Considering the fact that the chemical is featured in a range of products including many used by children, it’s actually somewhat horrifying that it’s been allowed to enter the marketplace before the federal government has determined whether or not it’s safe. .
With the FDA dragging it’s feet on taking decisive action in the matter, it’s a good thing that we have lawmakers like Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) to protect us instead. Earlier this summer, he introduced the Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Exposure Elimination Act of 2011, which, if passed, could eliminate triclosan from consumer products.
Will triclosan join Tylenol capsules and Toyotas on future lists of infamous consumer product scandals? It’s too soon to tell. In the meantime, the best action you can take to protect yourself and your family from possible endocrine disruption is to shop smartly. Beware of products claiming to contain antibacterial properties, and remember that triclosan isn’t always properly labeled. This is especially important to keep in mind this time of year as kids head back to class—the chemical lurks in many school supplies.
Food & Water Watch works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping the global commons — our shared resources — under public control.
