A recent study revealed that people often in contact or exposed to triclosan may be at risk of getting inflicted with cancer and liver fibrosis.
Triclosan is commonly used to make typical household items, such as shampoos, soaps, and toothpastes. Researchers from the School of Medicine at University of California, San Diego have issued a warning against long-term exposure to such additive, which could potentially lead to life-threating diseases like cancer and liver fibrosis.
Professor Robert H. Tukey, an expert who is part of the Chemistry and Biochemistry and Pharmacology departments of the school, explained that their study of the chemical revealed grave results and warned that triclosan poses "very real" health risks. Their study showed that exposure to triclosan for six months caused the laboratory mice to be more prone to chemical-induced liver tumors.
"Triclosan's increasing detection in environmental samples and its increasingly broad use in consumer products may overcome its moderate benefit and present a very real risk of liver toxicity for people, as it does in mice, particularly when combined with other compounds with similar action," he stated.
Prior to the release of this study, officials from the Food and Drug Administration has already launched investigations on the safety concerns raised regarding the chemical. This move was prompted by the numerous reports received by the agency indicating triclosan's effects to involve disruption of hormonal functions and weakening of muscle contraction. Moreover, officials are highly worried over the fact that the chemical is a popularly used additive to common everyday items.
Dr. Bruce Hammock, the co-leader of the study, offered a suggestion to reduce the risks posed by this additive.
"We could reduce most human and environmental exposures by eliminating uses of triclosan that are high volume, but of low benefit, such as inclusion in liquid hand soaps," Hammock advised.
Yet we could also for now retain uses shown to have health value, as in toothpaste, where the amount used is small," the researcher added.
The study was published in the academic journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'.
