An environmental group is suing the Food and Drug Administration to press the agency to restrict antimicrobial chemicals used widely in soaps, hand sanitizers and a wide range of other consumer products, saying the ingredients undermine antibiotics and disrupt hormone levels.
The nonprofit National Resources Defense Council filed its lawsuit in federal court in New York on Tuesday, asking the judge to slap a deadline on the FDA to issue regulations on triclosan and triclocarban, Reuters reports. The group contends that the FDA, more than 30 years after it first proposed to remove the chemicals from consumer products, has failed to adopt needed regulations.
According to the advocacy group, triclosan is so common that three-quarters of Americans have it in their urine.
“As a result of the FDA’s lengthy delay, consumers remain exposed to triclosan and triclocarban through a variety of over-the-counter drug products, such as antimicrobial hand soaps, that proliferate on the market,” the lawsuit said.
Shaving gels, clothing and many other products, often labeled as having “antibacterial” qualities, also contain the substances.
In a letter to Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the FDA in April said it was reviewing triclosan since recent research raised “valid concerns” about whether the ingredient fosters the spread of bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Experts also have questioned the effectiveness of the ingredient. An advisory panel to the FDA said in 2005 that there was no evidence the antibacterial soaps work better than regular soap and water.
Spokespeople for the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing their policies against discussing pending litigation. No manufacturers or retailers were named as defendants or were cited in the lawsuit.
A spokesperson for the Soap and Detergent Association, a trade group, told The Washington Post that triclosan has been “reviewed, regulated and researched for decades.”
