Personal Care Products Linked To Pollution And Health Concerns
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Parental concerns in maintaining germ-free homes for their children have led to an ever-increasing demand and the rapid adoption of anti-bacterial soaps and cleaning agents. But the active ingredients of those antiseptic soaps now have come under scrutiny by the EPA and FDA, due to both environmental and human health concerns.
Two closely related antimicrobials, triclosan and triclocarban, are at the center of the debacle. Whereas triclosan (TCS) has long captured the attention of toxicologists due to its structural resemblance to dioxin (the Times Beach and Love Canal poison), triclocarban (TCC) has ski-rocketed in 2004 from an unknown and presumably harmless consumer product additive to one of today’s top ten pharmaceuticals and personal care products most frequently found in the environment and in U.S. drinking water resources.
Now, Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University researcher Rolf Halden and co-workers, in a feat of environmental detective work, have traced back the active ingredients of soaps — used as long ago as the 1960s — to their current location, the shallow sediments of New York City’s Jamaica Bay and the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary.
“Our group has shown that antimicrobial ingredients used a half a century ago, by our parents and grandparents, are still present today at parts-per-million concentrations in estuarine sediments underlying the brackish waters into which New York City and Baltimore discharge their treated domestic wastewater,” said Halden, a new member of the institute’s Center for Environmental Biotechnology. “This extreme environmental persistence by itself is a concern, and it is only amplified by recent studies that show both triclosan and triclocarban to function as endocrine disruptors in mammalian cell cultures and in animal models.”
Aiding in his team’s research was another type of contamination: the radioactive fallout from nuclear testing conducted in the second half of the last century. Using the known deposition history and half-lives of two radioactive isotopes, cesium-137 and beryllium-7, Halden and his collaborators Steven Chillrud, Jerry Ritchie and Richard Bopp were able to assign the approximate time at which sediments observed to contain antimicrobial residues had been deposited in the two East Coast locations.
By analyzing vertical cores of sediment deposited over time in the two sampling locations on the East Coast, they showed that TCC, and to a lesser extent, TCS, can persist in estuary sediments. TCC was shown to be present at parts per million levels, which could represent unhealthy levels for aquatic life, especially the bottom feeders that are important to commercial fishing industries like shellfish and crabs.
In the Chesapeake Bay samples, the group noticed a significant drop in TCC levels that corresponded to a technology upgrade in the nearby wastewater treatment plant back in 1978. However, earlier work by the team had shown that enhanced removal of TCC and TCS in wastewater treatment plants leads to accumulation of the problematic antimicrobial substances in municipal sludge that often is applied on agricultural land for disposal. Lead author Todd Miller concludes that “little is actually degraded during wastewater treatment and more information is needed regarding the long term consequences these chemicals may have on environmentally beneficial microorganisms.”
Along the way of studying the deposition history of antimicrobials in sediments, the team also discovered a new pathway for the breakdown of antimicrobial additives of consumer products. Deep in the muddy sediments of the Chesapeake Bay, they found evidence for the activity of anaerobic microorganisms that assist in the decontamination of their habitat by pulling chlorine atoms one by one off the carbon backbone of triclocarban, presumably while obtaining energy for their metabolism in the process. “This is good news,” said Halden, “but unfortunately the process does not occur in all locations and furthermore it is quite slow. If we continue to use persistent antimicrobial compounds at the current rate, we are outpacing nature’s ability to decompose these problematic compounds.”
While combining bioenergy production and pollutant destruction has its own appeal, Halden sees a simpler solution to combating the pollution his team discovered: limit the use of antimicrobial personal care products to situations where they improve public health and save lives.
“The irony is that these compounds have no measurable benefit over the use of regular soap and water for hand washing; the contact time simply is too short.” Unfortunately this cannot be said for the bottom-dwelling organisms in the sampling locations on the East Coast. “Here,” Halden concludes, “the affected organisms are experiencing multi-generational, life-time exposures to our chemical follies.”
Halden is planning to continue his research on persistent antimicrobials by studying their body burden and associated health effects in susceptible populations including mothers and their babies.
[Joe Caspermeyer @ Arizona State University]
One Comment
Rev K L Maines
July 4th, 2008
at 9:40am
Greetings! Since the beginning of history, God has been revealing events to come to His people. On June 19, 2008 the Lord strongly impressed on me the need for His people to educate themselves concerning the products they buy and consume. I am writing this because I believe the Lord is warning His people of days to come. There are certain chemicals found in everyday products that are going to wreak havoc on our environment and well-being. One such chemical is Triclosan. Triclosan is an excellent product when used to protect healthcare providers treating patients with contagious diseases, such as medical professionals who are working in third-world countries during serious disease outbreaks. It can be a lifesaver to medical workers under those circumstances; however, the use of triclosan has not been tightly regulated, and it is now being overused in many products you and I use every day.
The warning cry is that this chemical and similar compounds will end up killing us if we continue to misuse and overuse them. Overuse puts us all at risk at contracting antibiotic-resistant superbugs, and individually, triclosan-based products weaken our immune systems. Please do not use or purchase triclosan-based products.
I hope you will take the time to read this brief message about the dangers of the chemical Triclosan and similar tricloson-like products (such as Triclocarban and quaternary ammonium compounds):
*Triclosan is found in hundreds of common everyday products, including nearly half of all commercial soaps.
*It is used so frequently that triclosan has made its way into the human body - a Swedish study found triclosan in human breast milk in three out of five women.
*Numerous studies have found that triclosan promotes the emergence of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
*Dioxin, a highly carcinogenic, endocrine disrupting compound, may be formed during the manufacturing process of triclosan, and thus is a likely contaminant. More alarmingly, researchers found that when sunlight is shined on triclosan in water and on fabric, a portion of triclosan is transformed into dioxin. Because of its ubiquitous nature, the conversion to dioxin is of major concern.
*Triclosan is one of the most frequently detected compounds in rivers, streams, and other bodies of water, often in high concentrations. Triclosan is highly toxic to a number of different types of algae. Since algae are the primary producers in many aquatic ecosystems, high levels of triclosan may have destructive effects on aquatic ecosystems.
*The American Medical Association took an official stance against adding antimicrobials to consumer products in 2000 and has repeatedly urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to better regulate these chemicals.
For more information google.com: “Triclosan.”
The single most important thing you can do in your life is to establish a personal relationship with Jesus, in which He is your personal Lord and Savior. If you have not yet accepted Jesus into your life, you can do so now, by praying this prayer:
“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus is the Messiah and He died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. Amen.”
Blessings to you,
Rev. K. L. Maines
Rev. K. L. Maines
Duly Ordained Pastor/Evangelist
For Prayer email me at : RevMaines@aol.com
Triclosan is found in the following products:
Soaps:
* Dial® Liquid Soap* Softsoap® Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap* Tea Tree Therapy™ Liquid Soap* Provon® Soap* Clearasil® Daily Face Wash* Dermatologica® Skin Purifying Wipes* Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser* DermaKleen™ Antibacterial Lotion Soap* Naturade Aloe Vera 80® Antibacterial Soap* CVS Antibacterial Soap* pHisoderm Antibacterial Skin Cleanser
Dental Care:
* Colgate Total®; Breeze™ Triclosan Mouthwash* Reach® Antibacterial Toothbrush* Janina Diamond Whitening Toothpaste
Cosmetics:
* Supre® Café Bronzer™* TotalSkinCare Makeup Kit* Garden Botanika® Powder Foundation* Mavala Lip Base* Jason Natural Cosmetics* Blemish Cover Stick* Movate® Skin Litening Cream HQ* Paul Mitchell Detangler Comb* Revlon ColorStay LipSHINE Lipcolor Plus Gloss* Dazzle
Deodorant:
* Old Spice High Endurance Stick Deodorant* Right Guard Sport Deodorant* Queen Helene® Tea Trea Oil Deodorant and Aloe Deodorant* Nature De France Le Stick Natural Stick Deodorant* DeCleor Deodorant Stick* Epoch® Deodorant with Citrisomes* X Air Maximum Strength Deodorant
Other Personal Care Products:
* Gillette® Complete Skin Care MultiGel Aerosol Shave Gel* Murad Acne Complex® Kit®* Diabet-x™ Cream* T.Taio™ sponges and wipes* Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel
First Aid:
* SyDERMA® Skin Protectant plus First Aid Antiseptic* Solarcaine®* First Aid Medicated Spray;Nexcare™ First Aid* Skin Crack Care* First Aid/Burn Cream* HealWell® Night Splint* 11-1X1: Universal Cervical Collar with Microban
Kitchenware:
* Farberware® Microban Steakknife Set and Cutting Boards* Franklin Machine Products FMP Ice Cream Scoop SZ 20 Microban* Hobart Semi-Automatic Slicer* Chix® Food Service Wipes with Microban* Compact Web Foot® Wet Mop Heads
Computer Equipment:
* Fellowes Cordless Microban Keyboard and Microban Mouse Pad
Clothes:
* Teva® Sandals* Merrell Shoes* Sabatier Chef’s Apron* Dickies Socks* Fruit of the Loom Socks* Biofresh® Socks
Children’s Toys:
* Playskool® :o Stack ‘n Scoop Whaleo Rockin’ Radioo Hourglasso Sounds Around Drivero Roll ‘n’ Rattle Ballo Animal Sounds Phoneo Busy Beads Palo Pop ‘n’ Spin Topo Lights ‘n’ Surprise Laptop
Other:
* Bionare® Cool Mist Humidifier* Microban® All Weather Reinforced Hose* Thomasville® Furniture* Deciguard AB Ear Plugs* Bauer® 5000 Helmet* Aquatic Whirlpools* Miller Paint Interior Paint* QVC® Collapsible 40-Can Cooler* Holmes Foot Buddy™ Foot Warmer* Blue Mountain Wall Coverings* California Paints®* EHC AMRail Escalator Handrails* Dupont™ Air Filters* Durelle™ Carpet Cushions* Advanta One Laminate Floors* San Luis Blankets* J Cloth® towels* JERMEX mops
Source: BeyondPesticides.org
References taken from the CDC website:http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no3_supp/levy.htm
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