Household product concern

The UK Environment Agency (EA) has called for new research into a common anti-bacterial agent used in household products following fears over its impact on the environment and wildlife. Triclosan, which often appears under the name of ‘Microban’, is used in products such as toothpaste, cosmetics and even chopping boards because it offers effective, long-lasting protection against bacteria, mould and yeast. The Environment Agency is asking manufacturers of this commonly used anti-bacterial agent to extend their research to look at whether the chemical might be having any effect on the environment and wildlife. This includes 

• conducting further work to better characterise levels of triclosan and its transformation products in rivers in England and Wales, so that any risks can be quantified 
• providing further information on the toxicity of triclosan to sediment-dwelling organisms, so that any risks to these organisms can be better understood 
• providing further information on the toxicity of methyl triclosan (a breakdown product of triclosan which can be more persistent in the environment) to aquatic organisms, so that its significance in the environment can be quantified, and
• working collaboratively with the water industry to investigate levels of triclosan and methyl triclosan getting into the environment via sewage sludge, and the significance of this pathway in terms of environmental impact.

Triclosan has been on the market for around 30 years and it is currently estimated that between 60 and 90 tonnes of the agent goes into consumer and household products in the UK each year. There is a very significant body of scientific research on Triclosan including information to show that it is finding its way into the environment. What is less well understood is whether are there any implications for wildlife, the water environment or the wider natural environment. Triclosan has been ‘notified’ under the Biocidal Products Directive (98/8/EC).
    Steve Killeen, the Environment Agency’s Head of Air and Chemicals Policy said: ‘Scientific evidence suggests that most Triclosan is effectively removed by the sewage treatment process, but that small quantities can remain in the effluent which is returned to rivers and the sea. We do not know if Triclosan poses any environmental problems, but we do want better information on its levels in rivers so that we can make sound, scientifically based judgements on whether there are risks to the environment or wildlife and, if there are, how significant or otherwise those risks might be.

The EA has published its short paper on Triclosan, which can be found at www.environmentagency.co.uk

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 66, December 2004, page 22]