Is Your Toothpaste Toxic?

Depending on what type of toothpaste or soap you’re using, you and your family could be exposing yourselves to toxic, hormone-disrupting triclosan.

The chemical was once widely used in these and other personal care products as an antimicrobial agent. Last year, the federal Food and Drug Administration finally banned triclosan from hand soap. But it is still allowed as an ingredient in toothpaste and other consumer products. Colgate continues to use it unnecessarily in its toothpaste.

A study by Brown University researchers, published in May in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, provided some startling evidence about just how much of the chemical can wind up in the bodies of pregnant women, babies and young children.

The results show that the levels of triclosan in children’s bodies increased as they got older, almost certainly from increased use of both toothpaste and hand soap. Look to safer alternatives such as Dr. Bronner’s 👍🏼 #DrBronners