DAVAO CITY, Philippines — A watch group urged manufacturers of personal care and cosmetic products to phase-out products which contain triclosan and triclocarban.
Ecowaste Coalition’s statement came after visiting expert Dr. Ann Blake, in a press briefing earlier this year, advised consumers to shun soap and wash products with triclosan and triclocarban ahead of the US-wide ban on such products starting Sept. 6, this year.
“We call upon the manufacturers of PCCPs to cease from using triclosan and triclocarban in product formulations after scientists reached a consensus that these substances are environmentally persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals that bio-accumulate in and are toxic to marine organisms,” Rene Pineda, representative of EcoWaste Coalition, said in a statement.
In the U.S., both the triclosan and triclocarban are among the 19 antibacterials banned by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The ban is expected after the manufacturers “did not demonstrate that the ingredients are both safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections.”
With this, Pineda exhort lawmakers to take precautionary action to safeguard the public health, especially the health of pregnant women, developing fetuses and breastfeeding babies.
The EcoWaste Coalition cited the historic statement by over 200 scientists and medical professionals published in the June 20 issue of the Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), a monthly peer-reviewed journal of research and news published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services of the US.
Dubbed as the “Florence Statement on Triclosan and Triclocarban,” the statement document a consensus of more than 200 scientists and medical professionals on the hazards of and lack of demonstrated benefit from common uses of triclosan and triclocarban.
Pineda said the signatories called upon “the international community to limit the production and use of triclosan and triclocarban and to question the use of other antimicrobials.”
“It is our common responsibility to prevent further human and environmental exposures to triclosan and triclocarban,” he pointed out.
Based on extensive peer-reviewed research, the statement concludes that triclosan and triclocarban are environmentally persistent endocrine disruptors that bioaccumulate in and are toxic to aquatic and other organisms.
The Florence Statement also lists several recommendations to prevent harm from triclosan, triclocarban and other antimicrobial substances with similar properties and effects. These include:
– “Avoid the use of triclosan, triclocarban, and other antimicrobial chemicals except where they provide an evidence-based health benefit (e.g., physician-prescribed toothpaste for treating gum disease) and there is adequate evidence demonstrating they are safe.”
– “Where antimicrobials are necessary, use safer alternatives that are not persistent and pose no risk to humans or ecosystems.”
– “Label all products containing triclosan, triclocarban, and other antimicrobials, even in cases where no health claims are made.”
– “Evaluate the safety of antimicrobials and their transformation products throughout the entire product life cycle, including manufacture, long-term use, disposal, and environmental release.” (davaotoday.com)
