FDA stops sale of some antibacterial hand and body wash products
While antibacterial products aren’t going away, the FDA is finally taking steps to ensure they’re safer than they’ve ever been. It was announced last week that the United States Food and Drug Administration will no longer allow 19 different ingredients, including Triclosan, to be used in “antibacterial washes”.
The washes are:
· Cloflucarban
· Fluorosalan
· Hexachlorophene
· Hexylresorcinol
· Iodophors (Iodine-containing ingredients)
· Iodine complex (ammonium ether sulfate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate)
· Iodine complex (phosphate ester of alkylaryloxy polyethylene glycol)
· Nonylphenoxypoly (ethyleneoxy) ethanoliodine
· Poloxamer--iodine complex o Povidone-iodine 5 to 10 percent
· Undecoylium chloride iodine complex
· Methylbenzethonium chloride
· Phenol (greater than 1.5 percent)
· Phenol (less than 1.5 percent) 16
· Secondary amyltricresols
· Sodium oxychlorosene
· Tribromsalan
· Triclocarban
· Triclosan
· Triple dye
The two most notorious ingredients on the list are Triclosan and Triclocarban. According to the FDA, the above ingredients are “no more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illnesses and reducing the spread of infections…” and found that “Manufacturers did not demonstrate that the ingredients are safe for long-term daily use…” The new regulations mean brands won’t be allowed to market them in over-the-counter cleansers, and the FDA has given companies just one year to comply with the new regulations. For years the FDA has been studying Triclosan, and is expected to announce its findings and new rules in its usage and marketing in 2018. This is a great first step by the FDA, but it’s not as big as it could have been. The FDA did not ban the use of the chemicals in hand sanitizers. If you still feel comfortable using hand sanitizer, “the CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.”
To learn about the FDA’s new antibacterial wash regulations, click the link: http://cbsn.ws/2bQBaNr