Right now, if you used a conventional deodorant this morning, you may actually have a biocide known as Triclosan slathered all over your arm pits. The purpose of this compound is to kill off the bacteria that creates body odor. For a list of reference information about Triclosan check out the EPA’s Pesticides Page “Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Index for Triclosan (I’m not kidding, Pesticides)…Huh.. Triclosan is of course one of those “nice” names given to complex chemicals. So to be more accurate, you actually have something in the chlorinated diphenyl ether group slathered all over your armpits. …Are you feeling cool and comfortable right now? I don’t blame you. You know, there’s something about a biocide laying right on your skin that can make one feel uncomfortable (Unilever has another perspective, we want to air all sides here). We just don’t like poisons on us. True, this is a gut reaction, similar in fact, to the gut reaction we feel if any number of disgusting things were slathered on our skin (it’s easy to come up with five things off the top of your head that technically won’t kill you, but you definitely don’t want to have on you… you know what I’m talking about).
So, disgusting no doubt, but what does the science say? Well, the news isn’t too good. This stuff forms chloroform upon reaction with the chlorine in tap water. Chloroform is believed by many to be a carcinogen (by the way it was in toothpaste until 1976. For more commentary which discusses regulatory oversight see “Organic or Non-Organic Food: You Decide”). Minute amounts form, yes. But nonetheless Triclosan is a substance that may cause dermal and inhalation exposures to a likely carcinogen….. Not good.
And there’s more news. This stuff just isn’t confined to your deodorant, it’s also mat be found in deodorant soap, dish soap, shampoo and even toothpaste…Huh….(toothpaste with Triclosan in your mouth add chlorinated water and you get chloroform in your mouth, lovely). So if you add up all the potential sources of triclosan, you could literally could be exposing yourself to it from head to toe. So, maybe you shouldn’t force your kids to do the dishes.
But it doesn’t stop there. Apparently, the Triclosan that doesn’t stick to us heads down the drain to spread it’s joy everywhere. And apparently waste water treatment plants don’t purify too well against it. What does makes it through (up to 3.9% by some estimates) gets into the waterways or is absorbed into the sewage sludge.
So who cares about sewage sludge? Maybe people who don’t eat organically should. You see, that’s one of the things in the organic standards. No sewage sludge spread onto the fields (really, you couldn’t even make this one up). One more excellent reason to choose to eat organically.
As for the Triclosan heading towards the waterways. Hey, so it’s toxic to the fish. And if it doesn’t kill them it tends to bioaccumulate in their systems. And the presence of this chemical in the waterways is a real and not a hypothetical issue. For instance, in Germany and Switzerland it has been found that The “Predicted No Effect Concentration” (the PNEC) was exceeded in samples taken from the rivers there. Well, does it eventually biodegrade? Thankfully, yes. Can it do damage before it does? As usual, not enough is known about it but many people say yes.
So in summary, this compound is used extensively in many everyday products. And, it has potentially serious health and environmental consequences. Now what bothers me here is that most of this is completely unnecessary. For instance, a simple manner to kill bacteria is just to use plain old soap with nothing added. The soap does what it does, emulsifies oils. And this action will kill bacteria by disrupting their outer lipid (fatty) layer as well as facilitating rinsing them off. The only thing you need do is give the soap enough time to do it’s job. Some suggest singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” while washing up and when you’re finished so is the bacteria. But of course, do this in your head or you could get some strange looks especially if you’re a construction worker cleaning up at the end of your shift.
Do I want my surgeon using a bactericide before taking my appendix out? Absolutely! I want every reasonable thing done to make the procedure as safe as possible. Will this one exposure damage my health or the environment? Very unlikely. But the usage of this stuff day in and day out in multiple common products by millions of people is another matter. Now we’re talking potential problems. And unnecessary ones at that.
You know, it’s amazing that we’re exposed to so many poisons and chemicals every day that we’re not even aware of…. I think I’ll pass on the Triclosan. But don’t worry, I won’t be offensive if we’re sitting next to one another during a movie. I use a natural deodorant, Tom’s of Maine (no affiliation with Organic Test Kitchen .com by the way). Tom’s doesn’t use the poisons. rather it works to control odor by using Hops and it has a “gentle natural fragrance” to mask any odor that does form. Hey, it works.
Let’s be smart about or personal care products for ourselves and the environment. Be a responsible inhabitant of the planet and live naturally.
