I’ve written about Triclosan before (and please forgive the long silence here on SafeMama, I’ve been working on some new material for you and haven’t had a chance to post anything worthy).. Anyway, it’s no secret that Triclosan is a chemical worth avoiding and for various reasons. In the same way we all fought for a change to BPA Free, and are still fighting for, I personally feel that we should be eyeing Triclosan in the same light.
Triclosan is linked to endocrine disruption, bacterial and antibiotic resistance, dioxin contamination, contaminated marine life (source Healthy Child Healthy World), liver and inhalation toxicity, and may disrupt thyroid function. Triclosan is turning up in breast milk and could potentially present toxicity to fetal development and childhood development.
BeyondPesticides.org has some great information on the progress with regard to the EPA petitioning a ban on Triclosan for non-medical use.
EPA announced a 60-day public comment period for the petition filed by Beyond Pesticides and Food and Water Watch to ban the controversial antimicrobial pesticide triclosan for non-medical use. The petition, filed on January 14, 2010, identifies pervasive and widespread use of triclosan and the agency’s failure to address triclosan’s impacts on human and environmental health, conduct assessments for residues in drinking water and food and concerns related to antibacterial resistance and endocrine disruption. The petition cites various violations of numerous environmental statues including the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.
What can you do? You can contribute your voice in the matter.
- Click here to send an email directly to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. The link (sponsored by Organic Consumers Association) sends an automated message to Lisa Jackson, or;
- Submit your own comments to the docket directly by clicking here. Fill in the form to submit your comments to the Federal Register (this method offers different levels of privacy). You can visit HealthyChild.org to get a sample letter or check out BeyondPesticides.org for information that can help you develop your own letter.
We have until February 7, 2011 to submit our comments or write to Lisa Jackson to show support in EPA’s proposed ban on Triclosan. Thank you HealthyChild.org for bringing this to attention!
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