Should the Government Ban Antibacterial Soaps?

By Melinda Carstensen

For years, the consumer product industry has hailed it as a germ-fighting agent in hand soaps, face creams, deodorant and toothpaste. But this month, the state of Minnesota is banning the chemical from its store shelves.

Triclosan, the most common ingredient in antibacterial products, has been around since the 1960s. But it has recently come under fire after scientists discovered it could impact hormone levels, affecting metabolism, brain development and reproductive systems in animals.

Starting in 2017, Minnesota will be the first state to outlaw the chemical from consumer products.

State Sen. John Marty, who sponsored the bill, told the Associated Press he believed most manufacturers would eliminate triclosan from their products by then anyway.

“While this is an effort to ban triclosan from one of the 50 states, I think it will have a greater impact than that," Marty said.

Proctor and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline have already begun phasing out triclosan from their products. Colgate-Palmolive has removed triclosan from some of its products, and P&G’s Crest markets itself as “triclosan-free.”

The Food and Drug Administration estimates triclosan is in 75 percent of antibacterial products, and it announced last year that it would revisit the safety of the chemical with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Environmental advocates have rallied to ban triclosan since the 1970s because the chemical can break down in waters to potentially harmful dioxins.

Trevor Russell, watershed program director of Friends of the Mississippi River, said dioxins can work their way up the food chain, but their effects aren’t yet understood. In addition to harming wildlife, research shows a link between dioxins, and birth defects and cancer.

Critics, like the American Cleaning Institute, called for Gov. Mark Dayton to veto the bill, saying triclosan has important health benefits. But the FDA said the chemical’s perks haven’t been scientifically proven to be more effective than other, non-antibacterial products. The agency set a rule last December that to use an antibacterial label, soap and body wash manufacturers would have to prove their products were safe and more effective than regular soap and water. You can weigh in on the measure here.

Tell us: Do you think your local government should ban potentially harmful antibacterial ingredients? Or do you think this is a federal issue, or that the government should let consumers decide which products to use at their own will? Sound off in the comments!