Triclosan in liquid soaps and toothpastes may be dangerous

Personal hygiene is one of the most important ways to prevent diseases and to strengthen health.

However, new research conducted on mice suggests that the long-term effects of the antimicrobial triclosan, which is often added to liquid hand soap, shampoos and other personal care products, may caused malignant neoplasms of the liver.

A group of scientists, led by Professor Robert H. Tukey and Professor Bruce D. Hammock, published the results of their research in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences”.

Triclosan is included in many popular personal hygiene products to slow down or prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi.

In addition to shampoos and liquid hand soaps, the substance can be found in toothpastes, deodorants and various cosmetics. Triclosan is also used as a preservative in the manufacture of shoes, clothing and various household goods.

Previous research only suggested that triclosan could be harmful to health. Some studies have even claimed that it has the ability to disrupt endocrine regulation in mice.

The official position of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is that there is currently no sufficient evidence that triclosan could harm the human body in any way. nevertheless approves the conduct of research in this direction.

The new study proved the toxicity of triclosan for mice, and the toxic effect occurs through a mechanism that is completely possible in the human body as well.

Scientists exposed a group of mice to triclosan for a period of 6 months, which corresponds to 18 years in humans, and their health indicators were compared to a group of mice that were not exposed to this chemical.

The results of the analysis showed that the structure and function of the liver significantly deteriorated in mice from the study group compared to mice from the control group.

In addition, the rodents in the triclosan group had a much higher incidence of liver malignancies, cirrhosis of the largest gland in the human body, and hepatomegaly.

Researchers suggest that triclosan has such effects on mice because it disrupts the function of the constitutive androstane receptor, CAR – a protein that is involved in cleansing the body of foreign chemical substances.

Damage to CAR causes the proliferation of liver cells, which is the reason for the development of cirrhosis – excess formation of connective tissue.

If this process is repeatedly repeated /under the influence of repeated and prolonged contact with triclosan/, this can lead to the emergence of malignant tumors.

Commenting on the obtained results, the researchers stated:

“We were able to prove that triclosan can also act as a chemical agent affecting the liver and even cause cancer of this organ. In animal studies, we used higher concentrations of triclosan than humans are exposed to using personal care products containing this substance. But the very fact of triclosan’s carcinogenicity raises serious concerns.”
The authors point out that triclosan is a very common substance – in their past study, they found traces of this substance in 97% of samples taken from the milk of lactating women and in 75% of urine samples.