 Using Antibacterial Soap May Disrupt Your Hormones
Triclosan, a chemical used in antibacterial soaps and toothpastes, has been shown to hasten the transformation of tadpoles into adult frogs. This means that triclosan can act as an endocrine disrupter, upsetting the delicate hormone balance of animals. Triclosan has already been shown to bioaccumulate in fish and contaminate human breast milk. The effects of triclosan on the tadpoles included significant weight loss and accelerated hind-limb development. There was also elevated activity of genes linked with uncontrolled cell growth, and decreased gene activity in the tail fin. Triclosan alone does not cause the effect, but only triclosan in the presence of thyroid hormones. This suggests that triclosan makes thyroid hormones much more potent, and speeds up their impact. Triclosan may be making protein receptors in the cell more sensitive to thyroid hormones. Thyroid-hormone signaling is essential for the development of the human brain and body, so these findings could have an impact on human health.
Environmental Science and Technology October 24, 2006 Aquatic Toxicology September 29, 2006
Up to now, triclosan received much of its deserved notoriety as an ingredient found in many toothpastes and soaps that creates antibiotic-resistant germs. That is, until this new study that identified triclosan as a synthetic endocrine disruptor. It doesn't take much triclosan (0.15 parts per billion) to disrupt a hormone signaling system in frogs -- a system that mirrors the one found in humans. That's just one more reason why you should use plain soap and water to keep your hands clean, and stay away from antibacterial soaps.
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