Lawsuit Forces FDA to Finally Enforce Removal of Endocrine Disruptor Triclosan From Soaps

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under a court agreement, will end decades of delay and decide how to protect consumers from triclosan, a suspected endocrine disruptor linked to reproductive and developmental harm in laboratory studies. The FDA first proposed in 1978 to remove triclosan from certain consumer products. But because it took no further action, the chemical has been widely used in antimicrobial soaps sold in the U.S. The growing use of triclosan in products over the past few decades has led to widespread residues in the environment and in people. Bio-monitoring results found residues of triclosan in 75 percent of Americans over the age of six. The chemical is absorbed through contact with the skin and tests have found it in human blood, urine and even breast milk. Laboratory studies have shown that triclosan is an endocrine disruptor capable of interfering with hormones critical for normal development and reproduction. Such hormonal interference has the potential to cause long-term health problems including poor sperm quality and infertility and damage to the developing brain leading to poor learning and memory. Several studies suggest that triclosan also may contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, may exacerbate allergies, and may weaken muscle function.

House Approves Bill to Fast Track Fracking on Public Lands

By a vote of?235-187, the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved its latest giveaway to the oil and gas industry?a bill that would fast track the approval of fracking on public lands, according to Environment America. The bill approved yesterday is one of three anit-environmental, pro-industry bills expected to pass the Republican controlled House of Representatives this week. ?Fracking is already wreaking havoc on our environment and health,? said?Environment America?s Federal Clean Water Program Director,?Courtney Abrams.??America?s public lands?from the White River National Forest in Colorado to Chaco Canyon in New Mexico?should be protected for all Americans to enjoy. However, this reckless bill puts our special places and the communities that rely on them for drinking water and recreation at risk from fracking. The bill, H.R. 2728, sponsored by Rep. Flores (R-TX), is one of three pro-industry, anti-environment bills?that House is expected to pass?this week. According to Earthjustice,?the bill, among other things, would delay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s study on impacts of fracking , eliminate baseline federal protections for public lands from fracking, and keep important data about water contamination from families living on and near fracking sites. This is clearly a step in the wrong direction.