The (Other) Toxin In Your Toothpaste

Triclosan isn't exactly new to ATS, as there are a handful of old threads about it. Nevertheless, it's back in the news, and still being used in everything from your toothpaste, to your trashbags.

The culprit: Triclosan. This germ-killing chemical is found in a wide range of products, from toothpaste to hand soap, and it's been making headlines lately thanks to a recent Canadian ruling deeming triclosan as toxic to the environment, especially aquatic life.

At least our Canadian neighbors see it for what it is. How about the U.S.?

Our neighbors to the north have taken a stand on this chemical and are working to curtail the use of triclosan throughout Canada. But not the United States. Even though the Food and Drug Administration has admitted that there are "valid concerns" about the adverse health effects triclosan poses to humans, it's still allowed in soaps, makeup, deodorants, toothpaste, and many other personal care products.

About as well as they have addressed flouride it seems. Not at all. Add to that, this is an MSM article, which means they are probably downplaying it some. The article does give some tips and hints on products that contain triclosan, and what to avoid.

Oh, and it's in your makeup too ladies. Isn't that comforting?

Source

ETA: A little added info on origins, and early uses.

Triclosan by Any Other Name Is Still Triclosan

Where did triclosan come from and what was its original use? The Chemical company Ciba invented the chemical in the 1960s. It was first introduced in the health care industry in a surgical scrub kit in 1972. Over the last decade, though, there has been a rapid increase in the use of triclosan-containing products. According to the American Journal of Infection Control, nearly 100 percent of antibacterial liquid hand soaps found in the U.S. contain triclosan. Antibacterial bar soaps sometimes contain a similar ingredient called triclocarban. (Triclosan also appears under the brand names, Irgasan DP-300, Lexol 300, Ster-Zac, Cloxifenolum, BioFresh, Microban.) All in all, the CDC found in 2000 that products containing antibacterial agents has escalated from a few dozen products in the mid-1990s to over 700 today.

Lots of names, same poison.

It’s important to note that this growth in the use of triclosan is accompanied by opportunistic marketing that plays on the fear of the H1N1 virus, and the fear of germs in general...

Second Source

Thanks for the info
It is amazing to me how the UK and Canada do not allow these chemicals in their products, including other chems in perfume/colognes and make-up, while the US doesn't even blink an eye. They also do not allow gmo's. I know Capitalism is great and all, but sometimes there are flaws in any system and this one is one, imo.
Go chemical company lobbyists, woohoo!

reply to post by speculativeoptimist

It is amazing. Makes one think all kinds of crazy things about those great folks running the FDA.

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


I'm in the uk. Sorry but we got toxins in just about everything, thats why myself and family are totaly organic. As we speak are government is forcing fluoride onto us. They say its up to us whether we get it in our water but recent court cases have proven they give us no choice. The court judges say "its not illegal so your having it" hows that for choice.

Also, though many dont believe it, much of the beef herd are cloned. I saw a field of cows not far from where I live and it was quite spooky, they all looked identical.

reply to post by Klassified


Crest Toothpaste declines to offer up a list of ingredients for any of their products, and when using their search engine and typing in triclosan, 0 items appear. However, Dentist.net does offer an ingredient list for this product and triclosan does not appear to be one of them.

No so, however, for Colgate which also declines (seemingly) to offer a list of ingredients but in their search engine, as you will see, they do address the triclosan ingredient, offering up articles to praise triclosan not bury it.

A Nebraskan dentist's website actually praises Colgate for their use of triclosan:

Colgate Total toothpaste is a good toothpaste because it contains the anti-bacterial ingredient Triclosan. It has a germ-fighting ability that lasts for up to 12 hours after you brush. Colgate Total has also become the first toothpaste accepted by the American Dental Association for the prevention and reduction of bad breath. It has been shown to reduce bad breath up to 51% for 12 hours after brushing.

Uphill battles ahead...

reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux


You're right about the Crest. One site I went to had this to say, though not directly aimed at Crest.

One way to find toothpaste with no antibacterial agents is to avoid those that claim to help with gingivitis. Or you can check the label to see if triclosan is an active ingredient.

And of course, Crest Pro-Health claims to protect against gingivitis.
source

I would expect a fairly strong pro stance from the industry. This is directly related to their pocketbook. It reminds of the debates over flouride and aspartame.

Thanks for the input, and additional info my friend.

reply to post by Klassified


Women need to get it together with their cosmetic use. We're expected to use so many products daily, nearly all of them toxic - face wash, moisturizer, concealer, foundation, powder, mascara, eye shadow, shaving gel, antiperspirant, perfume, hairspray, ETC. And that's just the morning. All of this stuff is filled with toxic substances as well as nanoparticles, which can cross into the brain. Men, I'm concerned about y'all too, but LADIES, they're poisoning us!! Embrace natural beauty!
Thanks for the article OP!

reply to post by lordgrrl


Agreed!
My wife has all but quit wearing makeup, and she uses as many natural cleansers, etc. as she can find. If women ever pulled together, they could bankrupt the cosmetic and fashion industry.

Embrace natural beauty!

But its dangers aren't limited to Mother Earth: A growing body of research also shows that this ingredient can alter how our thyroids work, increase our resistance to antibiotics, and even make our allergies more severe.

The real problem which the article or OP fail to mention is the role of triclosan in antibiotic resistance. I'm not sure why the source says "increase our resistance to antibiotics"...last I checked, antibiotics weren't meant to kill humans Hopefully we are resistant to antibiotics. But with the overuse of triclosan, and it not really working in the first place, resistance is inevitable really.

Added to that is the incredible amount of antibiotics used in factory farms, something like 35% of all antibiotics are used for farming, and it's not a smart path to go down.

reply to post by Turq1


Thanks for pulling this from the article. A good point to bring out. I think the authors comment "increase our resistance to antibiotics", was meant to convey triclosan's interference with the effectiveness of antibiotics such as penicillin and tetracycline.