Toothpaste to Hand Soap: Triclosan-Free Substitutes Until the EPA Regulates the Stuff as an Endocrine Disruptor

We already know the FDA is looking at triclosan (the ingredient fueling our country's obsession with antibacterial everything) as an endocrine disruptor. But Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is calling on the EPA to join in and take a broader approach to regulating antibacterial chemicals.

The group points out that even though the EPA is mandated to consider environmental and human health risks when regulating these products, the agency is currently overlooking many of these concerns.

Chief among them, from PEER:

- Growing evidence that continued overuse of antimicrobial products will create strains of bacteria, known as "superbugs," that are immune to the effects of therapeutic antibiotics, consequently denying doctors essential tools to treat the sick, elderly and other vulnerable populations; and

- Ample data showing that antimicrobial chemicals are often washed down the drain and end up in our rivers, lakes, and streams, proving toxic to fish and other aquatic plants and wildlife.

If you want to avoid these effects on your own health and help stop the growth of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs," give up the triclosan. Don't fall for its pseudonyms, either: also called Irgasan DP-300, Lexol 300, Ster-Zac, Cloxifenolum, BioFresh, Microban.

It's not easy, though—antibacterial chemicals are everywhere! Even in toothpaste. And toys and cutting boards. The American Medical Association advises people not to use it at home, and the Canadian Medical Association has asked its own government to ban antibacterial agents in household products.

So to get started, here are a few suggestions for detoxing your life of triclosan.