Lawsuit Seeks Final Rule on ‘Antibacterial’ Chemicals After 32-Year Delay

(Here is news from the NRDC about finally regulating the use of Tricolsan, a chemical in antibacterial products, face cleansers, and toothpastes. This toxin is harmful for the environment and for people. I've reported about this chemical before on Non-Toxic Kids and I am glad to see the NRDC taking action on this issue. ) 

The Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit today against the Food and Drug Administration for failing to issue a final rule regulating the chemicals triclosan and triclocarban, which are commonly found in antibacterial soaps. These chemicals are suspected endocrine disruptors linked to reproductive and developmental harm in laboratory studies. NRDC filed today’s lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

“Washing your hands with so-called antibacterial soap containing triclosan or triclocarban actually does nothing different than using regular soap and water. Using soap containing these chemicals does not provide an additional benefit as consumers might think, but instead actually comes with potential health risks,” said Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist in the Health and Environment Program at NRDC. “The FDA needs to prohibit these harmful chemicals from being put into products in the first place.” 

The majority of consumer soaps claiming to be “antibacterial” or “antimicrobial” contain the chemicals triclosan or triclocarban. FDA first proposed a rule that would have removed these chemicals from soaps in 1978. Until this rule is finalized, these chemicals can be widely used with no regulatory oversight – despite evidence that they are not effective and numerous studies associate them with serious health risks. The growing use of these chemicals in products has led to widespread residues in the environment and in people; recent bio-monitoring results found residues of triclosan in 75 percent of Americans over the age of six. The chemicals are absorbed through contact with the skin and tests have found them in human blood, urine and even breast milk.

Laboratory studies have shown that these chemicals are endocrine-disruptors capable of interfering with hormones critical for normal development and reproduction. Such hormonal interference has the potential to cause long-term health problems including poor sperm quality and infertility, and damage to the developing brain leading to poor learning and memory. Several studies suggest that triclosan and triclocarban also may contribute to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

In April, FDA acknowledged soaps containing triclosan offer no additional benefit over regular soap and water.  FDA also expressed concern about the development of antibiotic resistance from using antibacterial products and about triclosan’s potential long-term health effects, but did not move ahead on the rule-making.

“Three decades of delay is outrageous,” said Avinash Kar, an attorney with NRDC. “FDA needs to issue a final rule on triclosan and triclocarban now, and that rule should ban both chemicals in hand soaps.”

Today’s lawsuit asks the court to impose a strict deadline for FDA to finalize the rule, which has been pending for 32 years.  Under FDA’s current proposal, the rule would ban the continued use of triclosan and triclocarban in many antibacterial products.

For more information: http://www.nrdc.org/health/files/antimicrobials.pdf

The Best Resources on BPA Free Living

 (This is a guest post from Gary Kohler about BPA (bisphenol A). Gary has gathered some great links to learn more about lessening your families exposures to this chemical.)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic compound used to make plastic and epoxy resins.

In recent years, products that are made with Bisphenol A have been pulled from shelves of many retailers because they are thought to harmful to humans. A report done in 2010 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised further concerns about BPA, especially when children, infants, and fetuses were exposed to the plastics.

People should understand the risks involved with using products made of Bisphenol A – the following resources can help you get educated:

1) USA Food & Drug Administration – BPA section

The FDA has a lot of useful information for consumers around the world that are interested in learning more about BPA. There are even PDF documents if you want further reading.

A few of the sections that are featured on the website include:

·      Overview – An overview of Bisphenol A.

·      Background – A brief history of the chemical and it's use in the United States.

·      FDA’s Current Perspective on BPA – This section goes over current FDA findings and goes on to say that there are “substantial uncertainties with respect to the overall interpretation of these studies and their potential implications for human health effects of BPA exposure.”

·      Additional Studies

2) Bisphenol A - CBC Health

CBC has a great primer on BPA including a FAQ section that goes over some of the following questions:

·      What is Bisphenol A?

·      How do I know if my container contains Bisphenol A? 

·      What does current research suggest about exposure to the chemical? 

·      What alternatives can I use?

3) Wikipedia Page on Bisphenol A

Wikipedia has a surprisingly strong section on BPA including information about synthesis, use, health effects, human exposure sources, environmental risk, and government response.

4) Scientific American - Plastic (Not) Fantastic: Food Containers Leach a Potentially Harmful Chemical

This is another great article from the Scientific American about BPA. It ends with the following paragraph:

“If canned goods or clear plastic bottles are a must, such containers should never be microwaved, used to store heated liquids or foods, or washed in hot water (either by hand or in much hotter dishwashers). 'These are fantastic products and they work well … [but] based on my knowledge of the scientific data, there is reason for caution,' Belcher says. 'I have made a decision for myself not to use them.'”

5)             The Natural Resources Defense Council – Is “BPA-free” the same as safe?

A description of some of the plastic containers available to consumers. This article also makes some suggestions on keeping safe when choosing a water bottle.

This is a guest post by Gary Kohler from the life insurance website LifeCover.

image:  By shrff14 by Nick under Creative Commons

Green Moms Carnival, Enviroblog Post, and Reading (lots happening around here!)

First off the lovely green ladies of the Green Moms Carnival share their views of the recently released Story of Cosmetics, and more importantly, the need for massive reform in our chemical regulation system.  There is some great reading here, and gathering support for passing the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010. 

Next, I did a guest post for Enviroblog about the body burden study I was involved in.  It shares a bit more about this process, the toxic chemicals tested, and some of my results (with a picture of the doctor cutting my hair sample!).

Lastly, I just did a post over at MightyNest focusing on developing language skills in children.  It's just a beginning-- I've got lots to say about this topic :).  But it is a start.  I was inspired by the NSDC Teacher Leader Conference I attended and a new book I picked up called Academic Language!  Academic Literacy! by Eli R. Johnson.

Happy reading!