Triclosan lingers in toothbrushes

Abstract

New research shows that compounds in toothpaste, including the antimicrobial agent triclosan, can build up in toothbrush heads and leach back out over time (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b02839). Triclosan was once a common component of antibacterial soaps and body washes in the U.S. Last year, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration gave companies a deadline of Sept. 6, 2017, by which to stop marketing those products, citing concerns about triclosan causing antibiotic resistance and a lack of evidence that triclosan-containing soaps were more effective than soap and water alone. The compound’s use in toothpaste is still approved, though, because of reports that it reduces gum inflammation, gingivitis, and plaque. Because some nylons—materials commonly used in toothbrush bristles—can take up some compounds, including triclosan, researchers led by Baoshan Xing of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, set out to determine the fate of chemicals in toothpaste. They simulated three months