Chemicals in Consumer Products are Draining Trouble into the Great Lakes Ecosystem

July 2014 Beverley Thorpe Publications

Most people are unaware of how widespread triclosan and triclocarban chemicals are in their daily lives. Triclosan is found in liquid hand soaps, cosmetics, toothpastes, moisturizers, and a wide range of other products.  Triclocarban is also used widely in personal care products and antimicrobial bar soaps.  Products contining these two chemicals are often labelled as 'antibacterial,' 'fights odours'  or 'kills germs.' 

GreenScreen® Assessments score triclosan as a Benchmark 1 (Avoid: Chemical of High Concern) and triclocarban as Benchmark 2 (Use but Search for Safer Substitutes).  GreenScreen reveals that both chemicals are highly toxic to living organisms in the aquatic environment - yet the vast majority of both these chemicals are used in products that end up flushed down the drain. 

Read the report:  Chemicals in Consumer Products are Draining Trouble into the Great Lakes Ecosystem: GreenScreen® Assessment Shows Triclosan and Triclocarban Should be Avoided.

Both GreenScreen assessments are available here.