ACI: Analysis on Antibacterial Ingredient Safety Misses the Mark on Accuracy

Washington, DC, | August 13, 2014 – Analysis of research showing trace elements of antibacterial ingredients in pregnant women and fetuses is distorting the safety profile of the materials, which have been extensively researched and reviewed for decades, according to the American Cleaning Institute.

The research in question was presented at American Chemical Society national meeting and reported that trace elements of the antibacterial ingredients triclosan and triclocarban were detected in the urine of pregnant women, as well as some umbilical cord blood samples.

Some of the researchers’ public comments – and well as news media headlines about the research – may mislead the public about the ingredients’ safety.

“The levels of these ingredients they found are extremely small and are excreted from the body,” said Dr. Paul DeLeo, ACI Associate Vice President of Environmental Safety. “There’s a wide margin of safety between these levels and the levels deemed unsafe based on standard safety evaluation.”

“The weight of evidence supports the conclusion that these ingredients are not causing adverse effects on the endocrine system. The continued ‘suggestions’ that the presence of these substances are leading to health risks are not borne out by the data and years of safe use by consumers.”

In comments submitted earlier this year to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the safety of triclosan, ACI wrote:

“Triclosan-containing consumer antiseptic wash products play a beneficial role in the daily hygiene routines of millions of people throughout the U.S. and worldwide. They have been and are used safely and effectively in homes, hospitals, schools and workplaces every single day.

“Furthermore, triclosan and products containing it are regulated by a number of governmental bodies around the world and have a long track record of human and environmental safety which is supported by a multitude of science-based, transparent risk analyses.”

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The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $30 billion U.S. cleaning products market. ACI members include the formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and chemical producers. ACI (www.cleaninginstitute.org) and its members are dedicated to improving health and the quality of life through sustainable cleaning products and practices.