by Linda Chaé

A recent report published in 2007 shows over 90% of water samples in the San Francisco Bay area were highly contaminated with several hormone disrupting chemicals. An example is triclosan. It’s contained in anti-bacterial soaps and can’t be filtered out of waste water by today’s best treatment plants. Many of us have it in our hand wash or dish soap. The triclosan goes down the drain into your local water supply. What will happen if this synthetic chemical cannot be removed? We’ll have triclosan in our drinking and bathing water!

Here are five reasons triclosan has been a major concern for me for the past 12 years:

1. It has a chemical structure similar to agent orange; potential side effects include cancer and sterility
2. According to Centers of Disease Control, triclosan doesn’t work any better than washing your hands for a minute with good old soap and hot water
3. Tufts University proved triclosan causes super bugs that cannot be treated with antibiotics (including common bacteria like staff and strep)
4. It cannot be filtered out of water and all of our city water is recycled; so we’ll all have triclosan in our drinking water if we don’t stop using it
5. Dioxin is a contaminate of triclosan. Only one drop in the amount of water it would take to fill 300 Olympic size swimming pools will cause male fish to develop female parts and sterilize both species

Now the problem has gotten even more serious. I love the environment, our planet and the fish that swim in our streams. But you know what? I care even more about making sure we have a next generation.

Hormone Disruptors and Human Health

“Hormone-disrupting chemicals are not just an ecological concern. Studies of ordinary people show that our bodies are contaminated with unprecedented levels of three major hormone disruptors - one of these is triclosan (Calafat 2005; CDC 2005; Wolff 2007). The sources of this pollution in people include many ordinary consumer products, such as cosmetics, ‘antibacterial’ soaps and cleaning agents. Recent research indicates that chemicals which interfere with the hormone system can cause adverse health effects in laboratory animals at levels as low as 1 part per trillion (Wozniak 2005).” [1]

There is evidence consumers may be experiencing negative health effects caused by exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals.

• Adult men are showing signs of reduced sperm concentration and motility, increased damage to sperm DNA and altered hormone levels (Duty 2003, 2004, 2005; Hauser 2007).
• Baby boys exposed to higher levels of phthalates in the womb or in breast milk are more likely to display reproductive system abnormalities (Swan 2005).
• Women with polycystic ovarian disorder, a leading cause of female infertility, or those who suffer recurrent miscarriages are more likely to have higher levels of bisphenol A in their blood (Sugiura-Ogasawara 2005; Takeuchi 2006).
• A recent animal study suggests triclosan may be a potent disruptor of the thyroid system (Veldhoen 2006).

What can you do?

Reduce Exposure for your health and the health of your family and future generations. The studies identified above indicate we must take action now to reduce exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals. We must stop the using these products so they don’t reach our treatment plants or waterways (such as the Bay).

Set A Goal This Week. Get rid of all products in your home containing triclosan. There are several companies offering safe, healthy alternatives. Chaé® Organics is one of the leaders providing natural, stabilized oxygen products proven to kill most pathogens within 15 seconds. No contaminates or side-effects… matter of fact, the liquid oxygen breaks down into salt water as the oxygen is consumed.

Be an informed and educated consumer. Find additional information on these important subjects in our e-newsletter, on our website or through links to respected research centers.

[1] Environmental Working Group (EWG) and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) researchers analyzed samples of wastewater from residential, commercial and industrial sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. Eighteen of nineteen wastewater samples examined contained at least 1 of 3 unregulated, widely-used hormone disruptors – phthalates, bisphenol A and triclosan; two samples contained all three substances. Despite sophisticated wastewater treatment, these chemicals were detected in treated waters discharged into the Bay.