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Anti-germ chemicals banned from soaps hide in household products

The FDA has banned 19 antimicrobial chemicals from soap, but manufacturers are free to put them in other unregulated products without any warning or requirement to be safe or effective.

Triclosan and 18 other chemicals have been banned from soaps and washes. AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato

This year marks 20 years since Hasbro was fined for false advertising, claiming their Playskool toys laden with the antimicrobial chemical triclosan would keep kids healthier. It is also the year when soap manufacturers will finally have to remove the chemical from their products.

Triclosan is one example of a potentially hazardous chemical used in some antimicrobial products. The Food and Drug Administration recently banned it, along with 18 others chemicals, from hand soaps because of unacceptable risks to humans and the environment. Exposure to triclosan in general is linked with disruption of hormone function and the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

The FDA asked manufacturers to demonstrate that these chemicals are safe for long-term use and more effective than regular soap. Neither has been proven.

But these same chemicals are still used in many other products — including plush toys, pool wings, pacifier pockets, building blocks and even craft supplies like markers and scissors — without any label required. Some of these products are marketed as being antimicrobial, but many aren’t.

Because these products are not under the purview of the FDA, they aren’t subject to the ban, and companies aren’t required to reveal what makes them antimicrobial. This means it is hard for consumers to know what products contain these chemicals.

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