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Triclosan – killing too many germs?
Beauty and the chemicals | What's wrong with parabens? | Aluminium – too close for comfort? | Triclosan – killing too many germs? | Phthalates – how plastic are you?
All UK cosmetics and household products, and their ingredients, must be safety tested. The legislation includes a list of 769 chemicals which may not be included in cosmetics and it sets out maximum concentrations of 56 chemicals which can be used as preservatives, together with other restrictions on their use.
Since June 2007, companies which import or manufacture chemicals, including those used in cosmetics and household products, have been required to provide safety data on all their products, together with an assessment of risk, in order to register them under an EU-wide system for testing the effects of chemicals on human health and the environment.
Triclosan is an antimicrobial chemical which is added to a huge range of handwashes, toothpastes and household products marketed to improve our personal and home hygiene. In toothpaste, it is claimed to reduce the risk of gum disease by killing bacteria. Concerns focus not only on the build-up of triclosan in sewage effluent, streams and rivers, but also on its impact on 'friendly bacteria' in our bodies which aid digestion and help prevent other, more serious infections. Marks and Spencer and the Co-op no longer sell triclosan-containing products.
Beauty and the chemicals | What's wrong with parabens? | Aluminium – too close for comfort? | Triclosan – killing too many germs? | Phthalates – how plastic are you?
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