Inquire: What exactly is triclosan in toothpaste?

A few days ago, Colgate and Crest partial toothpaste were accused of containing a chemical called triclosan. Products containing triclosan react chemically with chlorine-containing tap water to produce "dangerous" chloroform. Both the International Cancer Research Center and the United States have classified chloroform as a suspected carcinogen to humans. Therefore, there is a dispute of “carcinogenic toothpaste”. Why add triclosan in toothpaste? What kind of substance is triclosan? What harm does it have on the human body?

"Come out": triclosan broad-spectrum antibacterial

Triclosan, scientific name "Dichlorophenoxychlorophenol", also known as "trichlorin", "trichlorosilane", etc., triclosan normally white or off-white crystalline powder, insoluble in water, soluble in lye And organic solvents.

August 6, 1998, Dr. Tufts University, USA. Stuart Levy wrote in the journal Nature that triclosan antibacterial agents can effectively inhibit E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and other harmful bacteria while protecting beneficial bacteria. Subsequent experiments also proved that triclosan does not affect the resistance of bacteria, and has been proved by at least seven peer review and papers. Since then, triclosan has been widely used as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent in daily chemicals such as soaps and toothpastes.

In the U.S., triclosan is produced mainly by the U.S. plant of Ciba Specialty Chemicals, which uses Irgasan DP300 (Yejie New DP300) as a trade name. In China, the main manufacturer of triclosan is Tianjin Braun Disinfectant Co., Ltd., etc. Generally, triclosan is directly used as a trade name.

"Fluctuation of the situation": Indirect carcinogenicity of triclosan

The controversy over triclosan stems largely from a teacher's experiment at the Virginia Tech University. April 15, 2004, The Evening Standard, UK, according to Dr. Virginia University of Technology. According to Peter Vikesland's research, once triclosan-containing products react with chlorine-containing tap water, they form a substance called "Gorofin," which is called chloroform (also called "****"). It is colorless, volatile, and has been used as an anesthetic, but animal studies have found that this substance will cause damage to the heart and liver, with mild teratogenicity, can induce the occurrence of liver cancer in mice, but no human carcinogenesis data. To be on the safe side, both the International Cancer Research Center and the United States have classified chloroform as a suspected carcinogen to the human body.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently gave an update on the safety of triclosan. In the latest research, scientists have found through experiments with sheep that triclosan interferes with an enzyme that is essential for the circulation of estrogen in the uterus. This estrogen can open the arteries and send aerobic blood to the placenta. However, a spokesman for a cosmetics association in the United Kingdom stated that the experimental results on sheep do not represent human application. He also stated that so far, years of experiments have proved that it is safe for humans.

"Where to Go": New National Standard Restricting Triclosan

From February 1, 2009, China began to implement the new mandatory national standards for toothpaste, and further regulated the functional toothpaste. According to the new standard, the fluorine content of adult fluoride toothpaste is 0.05%-0.15%. At the same time, it is explicitly forbidden to add “diethylene glycol” to toothpaste for the first time. “Triclosan” is included in the permitted addition of preservatives, but Clearly no more than 0.3%.

The relevant medical experts in Beijing pointed out that the damage caused by **** to the body is clear, but whether cancer can not be simply defined depends on the size of the analysis. Medical experts also pointed out that some toxic substances can be transformed after entering the liver, but they cannot be metabolized and transformed, and thus damage liver cells. Oral mucous membranes have a stronger ability to absorb, so the **** will be absorbed faster from the mouth, and the absorbed **** enters the liver, which can no longer be metabolized.