Since 2000, the American Medical Association (AMA) has been advising
the Food and Drug Administration to closely monitor and possibly
regulate the home use of antimicrobials. Not a bad idea, considering
researchers discovered the use of antibacterial dish soaps and other
products may be exposing consumers to significant quantities of
chloroform.
This is because, when triclosan (a chemical known for its bacteria-fighting
properties) is mixed with the chlorine in tap water, chloroform
is born.
How does this affect consumer health? For starters, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified chloroform
as a probable human carcinogen, or substance causing cancer.
Moreover, as triclosan flows down drains, it makes its way into:
- Surface waters and sewage treatment plants.
- The bile of fish.
- Breast milk.
Danger of Triclosan in Dish Soaps
While triclosan contaminates numerous products (i.e. toothpastes,
acne treatments, lotions and hand soaps), researchers particularly
focused on dish soaps.
Conducting follow-up testing that closely mirrored typical dishwashing
habits and conditions, researchers found that triclosan
reacted with free chlorine to generate more than 50 parts per billion
(ppb) of chloroform in the dishwater.
According to researchers, when combined with the other trihalomethanes
in the water, the additional chloroform could easily drive the concentration
of total trihalomethanes to 80 ppb, which is EPA's maximum allowable
amount, or higher. (If any bromide is present in the water, the
level of trihalomethanes produced during dishwashing is likely to
increase even more.)
Research also suggested that the reaction of triclosan with chlorine
could produce highly chlorinated dioxins in the presence of sunlight.
Environmental Science & Technology April 6, 2005
Environmental
Science & Technology April 2, 2005
Newswise
April 11, 2005
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