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Do your household products contain pesticides that have
serious human and environmental health impacts?

Your bathroom and medicine cabinet may be filled with hand soaps, toothbrushes, toothpaste and mouthwash which may contain triclosan, a pesticide marketed as an antimicrobial chemical and found in a wide range of consumer products.

Even more alarming is that your bathroom isn't the only room in your house where triclosan may be lurking! This pesticide is often in dish and laundry detergents, fabrics, children's toys, clothing and shoes!

Numerous studies indicate that triclosan has serious human and environmental health impacts. Triclosan is washed down the drain and accumulates in waterways and sediment harming algae and fish. Triclosan has been identified as an endocrine and thyroid disruptor and is detectable in human blood, breast milk and urine. Furthermore, the frequent use of triclosan has been linked to antibiotic resistance.

EPA's 2006 Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey (TNSSS) examines how much and how long triclosan stays in our waterways and environment. The findings of this study were suposed to be available by fall 2008. Yet, as of December 17, 2008, those data are still unavailable to the public. EPA's failure to produce this report demonstrates a failure to inform and protect public and environmental health.

We are asking EPA to publish the findings from the 2006 TNSSS so that the public can weigh in on the whether or not this pesticide should be in our personal care and other consumer products!

Get more information about triclosan.

November 21, 2009

Subject:

Dear Mr. Stevens,

I am writing to urge you to reveal the findings of EPA's Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey (TNSSS). EPA identified triclosan as a contaminant of emerging concern (CEC) and included it in the 2006 TNSSS. The EPA Office of Water projected to “complete the study in the fall of 2008.”  Yet, as of December 17, 2008, this data is still unavailable. This study is a critical source of information that should be considered before the Triclosan Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) comment period ends on December 29, 2008.

Triclosan is a synthetic antimicrobial chemical that is ubiquitous in a wide range of consumer products including hand soaps, dish and laundry detergents and personal care products such as toothpaste and mouthwash. Numerous studies indicate that frequent exposure to triclosan has serious human and environmental health impacts.

In animal studies, triclosan has been identified as an endocrine and thyroid disruptor and is routinely found in human blood, breast milk and urine. Additionally, the overuse of triclosan and other antimicrobials has been implicated as a contributor to antibiotic resistance. The continued use of triclosan in personal care products is especially disconcerting given that prestigious medical organizations like the American Medical Association state that triclosan is no more protective against bacteria and microbes than soap and water alone.

Products that contain triclosan wash down our drains and into water systems and waterways, where triclosan has become a common contaminant. Sewer overflows and wastewater effluent deposits both contribute to triclosan contamination of waterways. A major source of triclosan in waterways is sewage sludge. Triclosan accumulates in sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatments. The sewage sludge is then spread on land, and triclosan leaches down through the soil and runs off into surface water from the fields.

Ongoing research suggests that because triclosan has a long half-life, it remains concentrated in aquatic sediments for decades. The highest concentrations of triclosan remain in activated sludge, sediment and biosolids destined for land application which could further introduce triclosan into the food chain. Furthermore, triclosan is toxic to algae, phytoplankton, and other aquatic life.

Given the extensive body of scientific data, it is difficult to understand why the EPA announced that it would reregister triclosan for use in numerous consumer products in September 2008. The public comment period for the triclosan RED will close in 2 weeks. Concerned citizens have been waiting for the results of the TNSSS in order to make informed comments to the Agency.

The release of this data would identify trends in triclosan use, environmental persistence and ecological risk. The EPA promised to release TNSSS findings by fall 2008. Yet, as of December 17, 2008, those data are still unavailable to the public. The EPA's failure to produce this report demonstrates a failure to inform and protect public and environmental health.

In sum, we ask the Agency to publish the findings from the 2006 TNSSS so that the public can weigh in on the EPA's Triclosan Reregistration Eligibility Decision, and present its concerns to the Agency before the comment period closes on December 28, 2008.

Thank you for your consideration.

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