Getting rid of triclosan

In a victory for consumers opposed to the presence of the antibacterial chemical triclosan in products they buy, Procter & Gamble has announced it will eliminate the toxic substance from its product line by 2014.

The company—which makes Dawn antibacterial dishwashing liquid and Safeguard antibacterial soap—follows in the footsteps of health-care-products manufacturer Johnson & Johnson which, in August of last year, announced its plan to phase out triclosan, according to an article at BeyondPesticides.org.

Triclosan has been linked to asthma, cancer and learning disabilities. Last year, researchers at UC Davis and the University of Colorado “found that triclosan impairs muscle function in fish and mice,” providing “strong evidence that triclosan could have effects on … human health at current levels of exposure,” the article noted.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has acknowledged that triclosan “provides no additional benefit over the use of simple hand soap and water.”