Even if the FDA isn't paying attention, the media is!

Antibacterial chemicals  in soaps have been in the news quite a bit lately since Representative Ed Markey called on federal agencies to scrutinize their safety more closely and specifically called on the FDA to ban triclosan from personal care products. Though they admitted they were "concerned", FDA says they are going to need another year to evaluate the safety of antimicrobials before they take any action, even though they have been ruminating on this for over 30 years! 

Today I was interviewed live on CNN to talk about why we are concerned about these chemicals and where they are found.

While we wait for FDA to take action, there are things you can do to reduce your exposure to these chemicals. Don't buy things that contain triclosan (sometimes labeled "Microban") or triclocarban. My colleague Gina Solomon has outlined other things you can do to limit exposure in her recent blog post.  You can also check government websites for lists of products that contain these chemicals read our fact sheet and other educational materials which explain why we are concerned abou these chemicals.