Omipresent Antibacterials

What could be more wonderful than having an antibacterial in your soap, toothpaste (Crest, Colgate, Sensodyne), after shave, mouth washes, clothes, bedding, even kitchen utensils, everything!. Ain't chemistry wonderful? What is the agent that has so quietly seeped into our every day life? 

Why, it is Triclosan. Never heard of it?  Then you must go to Wikipedia, search triclosan and then read it. 

The FDA meekly rolled over for industry and allowed this product to be used everywhere. It does not readily decompose as it has been found in landfills 30 years after it was put there.  

The public has been taught that bacteria are all bad and that the only good bacteria is a dead one.  But bacteria are for the most part friendly and useful. We really do not want to get rid of them. When the friendlies on the skin and mouth are killed off to vigorously, it makes room for the unfriendlies. True, triclosan has been used successfully for MRSA skin carriers. But a case could easily be made that scrubbing our skins too hard with antibacterials, simply makes room for the resistant ones, MRSA for example, to take up residence.

Triclosan is a biocide. The suffix "cide"in science means "kill" It interacts at multiple parts of bacteria within and on the bacterial surface. Since we all go back to bacteria several billion years ago, you should not be surprised if many of these chemical, enzyme and protein reactions are present in our own bodies. They very likely serve very useful purposes. 

Why would we want to confront them with a destructive chemical made by industry to sell soaps and toothpaste? Yes, the Wiki article speaks to suspected bad effects in the body from triclosan. When this chemical hits water and sunlight--surprise!! A dioxin is formed. It reacts with chlorine in water to form chloroform gas (a carcinogen according to the federal EPA).

The safest thing to do is read the labels on everything. If you see a word you do not understand--well make up your own mind what to do. By the way, Ivory brand is the only liquid soap I could find without triclosan. If you see the word "antibacterial" you can assume it has triclosan in the product.

My company, Jackson GI Medical is in the business of making prebiotic fiber supplements that support and help beneficial bacteria, so I am keenly aware of this subject. Perhaps more to the point, Jackson GI (unlike many 'supplement' companies) lists our ingredient on the label and has full nutritional info/disclosure. And we put our prebiotic ingredients right on our website so folks can check it out BEFORE they buy (just roll your mouse over the "view larger" link on our product page). 

Why? Not because we have to, but because we believe an informed, nutritionally-aware customer is in everyone's best interest. We don't hide behind any "secret blends" or "proprietary mixtures." 

So whether you're avoiding Triclosan, checking that a supplement is all natural, or simply being health-aware, label reading is a good thing. I can't tell you how to live your life, but I can tell you that I'm always suspicious of products with novella-lenth ingredient lists right off the bat.