Side Effects of Chemicals

Here is an interesting article I just found in the AZ Republic. It shows an important example of new techonogies and chemicals which are produced to help people, but because the effects of the substance are unknown, sometimes the side effects cause more harm than good. It is releveant to reading Cohen and how difficult implementing environmental policies can be.

Feds probe chemical used in
home products

by Lyndsey Layton - Apr. 11, 2010 12:00 AM
Washington Post

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration said recent research raises "valid concerns" about the possible health effects of triclosan, an antibacterial chemical
found in a growing number of liquid soaps, hand sanitizers, dishwashing liquids,
shaving gels and even socks, workout clothes and toys.

The FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency say they are taking a fresh look at
triclosan, which is so ubiquitous that it is found in the urine of 75 percent of the
population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The reassessment is the latest signal that the Obama administration is willing to re-
evaluate the possible health impacts of chemicals that have been in widespread use.

In a letter to a congressman that was obtained by the Washington Post, the FDA said that recent scientific studies raise questions about whether triclosan disrupts
the body's endocrine system and whether it helps to create bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. An advisory panel to the FDA said in 2005 that there was no evidence the antibacterial soaps work better than regular soap and water.

The FDA was responding to Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., who has been pushing federal regulators to restrict the use of triclosan and other chemicals that have been
shown in tests to interfere with the delicate endocrine system, which regulates growth and development.

"The proliferation of triclosan in everyday consumer products is so enormous, it is
literally in almost every type of product - most soaps, toothpaste, cosmetics, clothes and toys," Markey said. "It's in our drinking water, it's in our rivers and as a result, it's in our bodies. ... I don't think a lot of additional data has to be collected in order to make the simple decisions about children's toys and soaps that people use. It clearly is something that creates a danger."

Markey wants triclosan banned from products for children and products that
come into contact with food, such as cutting boards. Other countries, including European Union members, have banned or restricted the use of the chemical.

Brian Sansoni of the Soap and Detergent Association, which represents the $30 billion U.S. cleaning-products industry, said concerns about triclosan are unfounded.

"These products and ingredients have been reviewed, regulated and researched for
decades," he said. "We believe the science strongly supports the safety and efficacy of these products. It's more important than ever that consumers continue to have
access to these products. It's a time of increased threats from disease and germs."

Triclosan was developed as a surgical scrub for medical professionals. It is also used in pesticides. In recent years, it has been added to a host of consumer products to kill bacteria and fungus and prevent odors. It can be found in such products as kitchen cutting boards and shoes, often packaged with labels that tout "anti-bacterial" properties.

Most hand sanitizers, such as Purell, use alcohol and do not contain triclosan.

Sarah Janssen, staff scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Fund, which joined with several other environmental groups last year to petition the FDA to restrict the use of triclosan, said the soap industry was taking advantage of consumer fears. "Especially with the H1N1 outbreak, people get really scared and think they need to take extra precautions without thinking that soap and water works just as well," Janssen said.

Because it is found in so many types of products, triclosan is regulated by three
federal agencies: the FDA, the EPA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. But
the FDA, which oversees its use in personal-care products, medical devices and
products that come into contact with food, has been working for 38 years to establish rules for the use of triclosan but has not completed that task.

The FDA is committed to issuing the rules quickly and is working with the EPA to review the most recent data on triclosan, said Doug Throckmorton, acting director of the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. He said the FDA is also revisiting the 1997 approval it gave for triclosan in Colgate Total toothpaste because at the time, scientists had not raised concerns that triclosan could disrupt the endocrine system.

"For triclosan, the science is changing," Throckmorton said. "Based on what we know,
we don't have evidence to suggest this chemical is a threat to human health. However, we have to understand better the health effects, and we have to work with
other agencies to collect that information and then decide whether or not we need to
change how it's regulated."