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Minnesota agencies to stop buying soaps with triclosan
Mar 04, 2013 (Duluth News Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Minnesota state agencies will stop buying and using hand soaps, dish soaps and laundry cleaning products that contain triclosan by June of this year, according to an executive order issued by Gov. Mark Dayton.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced today that the state will stop buying any products with triclosan and phase out their use by June.
Triclosan has been classified as an endocrine-disrupting compound, is antibiotic-resistant and causes other health and environmental problems.
Triclosan is an antimicrobial ingredient in products like hand soap, toothpaste, cleaning products, fabric, toys, kitchenware and industrial pesticides.
A University of Minnesota study published in January in the journal Environmental Science and Technology said increasing amounts of triclosan were found in the sediment in eight Minnesota lakes and rivers, including Lake Superior, the Duluth harbor, Lake Shagawa in Ely, Lake Pepin, Lake St. Croix, Lake Winona and East Lake Gemini. Triclosan was not found in Little Wilson Lake in the Superior National Forest, the control lake in the experiment, which sees no sewage outflow.
Triclosan and its byproducts since the chemical was patented in 1964 and entered the market in the 1970s.
"By purchasing items without triclosan, state agencies are doing their part to keep this harmful chemical out of Minnesota waters," Cathy Moeger, sustainability manager at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, said in a statement.
The state was able to use its collective buying power and developed contracts for hand soap and dish and laundry cleaning products that are triclosan-free. In some situations, uses of triclosan-containing products may be allowed in medical or other specific settings.
The Minnesota Department of Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and American Medical Association say there is no evidence that triclosan provides any benefit over washing with regular soap and water.
___ (c)2013 the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) Visit the Duluth News
Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) at www.duluthnewstribune.com Distributed by MCT
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