Germ-killer in Antibacterial Products Showing Up in Dolphins

With the swine flu as catchy in the news media as it is in humans, Americans are trying their best to keep germs of their hands and bodies. Triclosan is one germ-killing ingredient that has been touted for its ability to do just that. The chemical is present in hundreds of antibacterial toiletries and kitchen products. It has been widely used in soaps, toothpastes and deodorants, and has even been incorporated into odor-killing cloth and plastic items such as cutting boards and baby changing stations in public restrooms.

But the chemical that is killing "99.9%" of germs doesn't do something you might assume it would: it doesn't kill viruses. It also has a few side effects...

For example, for the last several years, the main concern over triclosan has been that it would contribute to the rise of superbugs. But now there is a newer concern: studies are proving it to be an endocrine disruptor, including interrupting thyroid function.

And the chemical that is keeping humans so clean* is not doing the same for the ocean. A recent study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida Atlantic University and Environment Canada concluded that triclosan is accumulating in dolphins at levels that have been found to disrupt hormones and growth in other animals.

Scientists cannot yet conclude what effect triclosan will have on marine mammal health, but tests on bullfrogs and rats--tests which mimic the level of the chemical in the environment--show serious disruption to their endocrine systems.

This is the first time the chemical has been reported in a marine mammal, which points to accumulation up the marine food web--a fact that worries scientists. Some scientists are calling for the chemical's removal from consumer products. As marine mammals, dolphins are a top-level predator of the ocean.

Products containing triclosan make their way to the ocean when they wash off the body and down the drain and end up at the local sewage treatment plant. There, 90 to 98% of it is removed before the water is discharged into rivers and streams or directly into the ocean along the coasts.

The U.S. Geological Survey found that triclosan was one of the most frequently detected chemicals in streams in 30 states. Water from those streams eventually makes its way to the ocean.

But dolphins aren't the only mammals with triclosan in their systems. It showed up in the urine of three-quarters of Americans tested for the chemical, according to a 2008 study by the CDC. And it's not limited to the U.S. - the chemical has been detected in the breast milk of Swedish women.

You can read more about triclosan in this article published by Environmental Health News.

*Health experts have found that regular soap is just as efficient at getting germs off of hands as soap containing triclosan.

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Photo courtesy of Risager's photostream/Creative Commons