Be Aware.. Baby wipes

[Nutter]

Recently I bought some baby wipes.. low and behold one of the ingredients was triclosan ( a pesticide ) its also an ingredient in Colgate Total toothpaste.. so check the products your using .. some scary stuff in them..

Triclosan

The latest rage in the arsenal of antibacterial chemicals, triclosan is included in detergents, dish soaps, laundry soaps, deodorants, cosmetics, lotions, creams, and toothpastes and mouthwashes. In 1998, Americans snatched up $540 million of these products, without proof that they even do what they claim.

But, is triclosan safe? The EPA registers it as a pesticide, giving it high scores as a risk to both human health and the environment. The USP recently proposed a new monograph for the specific testing of triclosan. It is a chlorinated aromatic, similar in molecular structure and chemical formula to some of the most toxic chemicals on earth: dioxins, PCB’s, and Agent Orange. Its manufacturing process may produce dioxin, a powerful hormone-disrupting chemical with toxic effects in the parts per trillion (one drop in 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools!). Hormone disruptors pose enormous long-term chronic health risks, because they interfere with the way hormones perform (such as changing genetic material, or fostering birth defects).

Triclosan is a chlorophenol, a class of chemicals suspected of causing cancer in humans. Externally, it can cause skin irritations, but since "….phenols can temporarily deactivate the sensory nerve endings….contact with [triclosan] often causes little or no pain". "Internally, it can lead to cold sweats, circulatory collapse, convulsions, coma, and even death". Stored in body fat, it can accumulate to toxic levels, damaging the liver, kidneys, and lungs, and can cause paralysis, sterility, suppression of immune function, brain hemorrhage, decreased fertility and sexual function, heart problems, and coma."

Employing a strong antibiotic agent such as triclosan for everyday use is of questionable value, as it takes a shotgun approach to killing all microscopic organisms while also destroying the beneficial bacteria in the environment and in our bodies. These friendly bacteria cause no harm, and often produce beneficial effects, such as aiding metabolism and inhibiting the invasion of the harmful pathogens.

Boston-based microbiologist Laura McMurray and colleagues at the Tufts University School of Medicine, say that "triclosan is capable of forcing the emergency of ‘superbugs’ that it cannot kill. Experiments have shown that it may not be the all-out germ killer that scientists once thought it was….using triclosan daily in the home, in products ranging from children’s soaps to toothpaste to ‘germ-free’ cutting boards, may be unwise. In "New Products Feared Breeding Tougher Germs", J.B. Verrengia says "Public health officials have blamed the indiscriminate prescription of antibiotics for the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. The Tufts study suggests the recent widespread use of antibacterial agents in everyday products might have similar results". Doctors say that washing your hands with soap and water is the best preventative, and some doctors admit that including triclosan in the soap is an additional, unjustified expense; plain soap does just as well.

[QuilterMom]

I won't use regular baby wipes due to all the ingredients. We were gifted with a couple of cases of Seventh Generation wipes and I love them.

There's been a couple of threads about triclosan in the Natural Living forum in the past - nasty stuff.

[Kimberlina]

It is nasty stuff indeed- it is banned in toothpastes in the UK because it has been linked with cancer....

[santoria]

wipes are very interesting aren't they!

I use washcloths and just water or water some baby soap and a bit of lavender.

my youngest was blessed with an allergy/sensitivity to ALOE! which is in EVERY single baby product conceivable! so glad she's not a baby anymore!

[SHOPGIRL]

Good to know!

[MelissaMarie]

I had no idea the dangers of triclosan, thanks so much for this information. I actually bought some face wash last night that has triclosan in it because my face has broken out pretty bad and I used to use a face wash with triclosan in it and it worked wonders for my complexion. I don't think a pretty face is worth all the risks though, so thank you for the information... I'll be returning the facewash as soon as I get home this afternoon.

[YankeeMom]

I don't have a need for baby wipes anymore (and when I did I was too poor & made my own with baby oil & baby wash lol)....but IN MY TOOTHPASTE???

What toothpaste can I get that doesn't have this stuff? I am pretty vigilant when it comes to antibiotics & having them overprescribed to my family...but in my toothpaste???? Darn! How's an average person expected to know this stuff and be able to choose for themselves?

I'm outraged! I put toothpaste in my MOUTH dangit!