Ok, so I’m not paranoid – I eat food off the floor ALL THE TIME – but I try to do my part to avoid toxic chemicals. It seems like the right thing to do just in case something crazy happens and I want to carry a child or breast feed or just generally live a healthy live. So I carry my heavy glass containers on my bike even though the plastic toxic-laden Tupperware is so much lighter. In college I ditched my Nalgene with my awesome stickers for a metal water bottle. I make sure my dairy products are rBGH-free. I thought I was doing pretty well. So imagine my dismay when I realized my toothpaste contains pesticides.
Confused? Federal regulators (those people who are supposed to protect us) have approved a hormone-disrupting pesticide, triclosan, for use in 140 different types of consumer products including liquid hand soap, toothpaste, undergarments and children's toys. Ostensibly, triclosan is a germ-killing agent (it is advertised as such), but the America Medical Association along with other equally reputable organizations and researchers have found that antimicrobial soap is really no more effective at reducing bacteria than regular soap and water.
And can I just go back to an earlier point real quick? This is toothpaste, which I put directly in my mouth twice a day. Ok, sometimes only once a day, but usually twice a day.
As I mentioned, I’m not paranoid. I am, however, pretty vain (oh come on, like you aren’t?) and I totally bought into the “whitening toothpaste” craze. So I ditched my “natural” toothpaste last time I needed more. I do not have pests in my teeth, and yet I use Colgate Whitening with the added benefit of hormone-disrupting pesticides.
In case you are wondering, the FDA has heard a thing or two about triclosan since approving it. According to the FDA, “In light of these studies, FDA is engaged in an ongoing scientific and regulatory review of this ingredient. FDA does not have sufficient safety evidence to recommend changing consumer use of products that contain triclosan at this time.”
Until we convince them to take action, you may want to check your toothpaste.
By Susan Hildebrand
Chicago, Illinois
