Triclosan Now Under Investigation by the FDA

For anyone who has followed our eco-art installations over the years, you know that public health and environmental awareness has been a big concern for MSLK. This past summer, we created “Choose Better Projects” a project designed to raise awareness about a seemingly benign substance, triclosan, which is used in a variety of household products. Triclosan (or its chemically-similar cousin Triclocarban) is marketed as an anti-bacterial agent, and is the main active ingredient in all antibacterial soap. The effectiveness of Triclosan to actually kill harmful bacteria has been called into question. No one is sure if it’s even as effective as washing your hands with regular soap. Far worse than the possibility that this may not even perform as it was intended, very strong evidence suggests that it can cause direct harm to humans, and indirect harm to the environment. This week the FDA announced that it is proposing a new rule to force manufacturers to prove that their products are safe as well as effective. This is a huge step that we fully applaud! The risks far outweigh to benefits to ignore a healthy debate. For more information, you can read here: NY Times NBC News CNN