Say No To Antibacterial Soaps

[Guest guest]

http://drbenkim.com/blog/2006/11/say-no-to-antibacterial-soaps.html

 

 

Say No To Antibacterial Soaps

 

antibacterial soap (triclosan) bad for healthIf you are still using

antibacterial soap that contains a compound called triclosan, I hope

that a brilliant study published in the journal, Aquatic Toxicology will

persuade you to consider switching to the plainest bar of soap that you

can find.

 

Researchers have discovered that exposure to triclosan can cause

significant disruption to the endocrine system, a finding that has

countless and serious health implications.

 

The study found that triclosan - at concentrations found in North

American streams - can disrupt thyroid hormone function in bullfrogs,

which can lead to:

 

* Elevated activity in the brain of genes linked with uncontrolled

cell growth

 

* Accelerated hind-limb development

 

* Unhealthy weight loss

 

 

What's especially disturbing about this discovery is that the hormone

signaling mechanisms that triclosan disrupts is virtually identical in

frogs and humans.

 

Could this be another reason why we have an ever increasing number of

children who experience puberty far earlier than can be considered healthy?

 

The bottom line: antimicrobial household products that contain triclosan

should be avoided by everyone, but particularly by pregnant women and

growing children.

 

Not only do we need to ensure that these products don't have a place in

our homes, we need to be proactive in having them removed from our

schools, community centers, and other public facilities.

 

To view the original abstract of this study,

 

Triclosan Effects Thyroid Hormone-Regulated Gene Expression

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