Chemical Found In Colgate Total Toothpaste Linked To Cancer
A chemical that has been linked to cancer cell growth is
being used by millions of Americans in toothpaste every day, it has emerged.
The company behind Colgate Total insists that triclosan,
which it uses to stave off gum disease, is safe to use because the toothpaste
was approved in 1997 by the Food and Drug Administration.
However, the toxicology documents used by the FDA to approve
the toothpaste were only released early this year after a Freedom of
Information Act lawsuit last year – and reveal the agency relied upon
company-backed science to reach its conclusion, Bloomberg News reported.
The 35-page report reveals the FDA had concerns that
triclosan could increase the risk of cancer – but Colgate said the chemical was
only problematic in large doses.
However, evidence available at the time, as well as newer
studies, show there are indeed concerns with the chemical – including premature
births and underdeveloped bones in animals.
“The recently released pages, taken alongside new research
on triclosan, raise questions about whether the agency did appropriate due
diligence in approving Total 17 years ago,” scientists told Bloomberg.
In 2010, a student linked triclosan, which has commonly been
used to reduce bacteria contamination, to reduced fertility in mice and a 2013
study linked it to lowered sperm production in rats.
Furthermore, a study from 2003 found triclosan in the urine
of 75 per cent of 2,517 Americans – including children – who were tested by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite evidence – including pages in the report showing how
tests found fetal bone malformations in mice and rats – Colgate deemed the
results irrelevant because they were conducted on animals.
“We have created a system where we are testing these
chemicals out on the human population,” scientist Thomas Zoeller told Bloomberg.
“I love the idea they are all safe. But when we have studies
on animals that suggest otherwise, I think we’re taking a huge risk,” he added.
Still, Colgate said that the 35 pages do not prove the
chemical is harmful to humans and said that its safety is proved by more than
80 clinical studies of 19,000 people.
“In the nearly 18 years that Colgate Total has been on the
market in the U.S., there has been no signal of a safety issue from
adverse-event reports,” spokesman Thomas DiPiazza told Bloomberg.
He added that, while the FDA had been worried about the
chemical’s carcinogenicity, a study in 1997 found it did not pose a cancer risk
for humans.
Colgate said it has no plans to reformulate Total
toothpaste.
The FDA said on its website that triclosan is “not known” to
be dangerous to humans – but the results found in animals has given them enough
of a reason to run tests again.
Drug regulators are now reviewing the dangers of the
chemical, but they will only re-visit the approval of Total if they find a
great enough reason to.
In a sign of the concern over the chemical, Minnesota
lawmakers banned the chemical in May.
Avon and Johnson & Johnson have also announced plans to
cut the chemical from its products.
In 2010, the European Union banned triclosan in materials
that come into contact with food.
Source: DailyMail
Chemical Found In Colgate Total Toothpaste Linked To Cancer
Reviewed by Yen The Explorer
on
April 12, 2019
Rating:
Post a Comment