FDA Bans Triclosan, Other Antibacterials in Consumer Products

Hand and body washing products containing triclosan, triclocarban and 17 other antibacterial chemicals can no longer be sold over the counter after the FDA determined they may be harmful and ineffective.

The final rule establishing the ban on these chemicals means the likely end to their use in hundreds of consumer products. Theresa Michele, head of the Food and Drug Administration’s nonprescription drug evaluation division, said the cleaning industry did not or could not produce data showing that the benefits of these chemicals outweigh their potential health risks.

“Millions of Americans use antibacterial products every day,” Michele said in a ...