This is very good news, indeed, but a great deal more needs to be done. TRICLOSAN is in many household products such as clothing, shoes, makeup, kitchen products, baby toys, and so much more. I've seen recent ads for antibacterial paint, which stunned me. That will expose people to these insidious chemicals all day, every day. Babies will be borne of parents who have been steeping in triclosan.

As someone who is extremely sensitive to chemicals, I've had to work hard to educate myself about the ingredients in everything I eat, touch, and use in my home. I feel that this ban is too little, too late, but am happy that these commonly used soaps will be taken off the shelves.

Now, they need to work on the chemical fragrances so harmful to us.

THANK YOU world of SANITY. We really need to stop following some stylist who gets a good idea. Things like this need to follow the logic of SCIENCE and the MEDICAL field. I cringe at the super bugs these stylists created!!

I

Guess I'll start hoarding my Dial Gold bar soap. It's the only soap that keeps my hand eczema away. Until I tried it on the recommendation of a cancer patient none of the pure and natural soaps or cleansers helped. If I go somewhere for a few days without bringing my bar along and use regular soap the eczema returns. If my hands start to tingle it takes away the pain. Prescriptions, all sorts of supposedly soothing lotions etc. nothing worked. The Dial Gold bar works for me . Thanks FDA. :-(

I agree there are too many antibacterial products out there that just prey on the germaphobic. Embedding chemicals into toys and household items is just plain silly. But leave my soap alone. They are leaving the chemical in toothpaste. So brushing teeth with it is fine but washing my hands with it is not.!!!

I haven't used products with triclosan for years but still use sanitizer with alcohol after touching things in public places when I can't wash my hands.

As I recall, washing your hands -- with or without soap -- is effective in removing germs. It's the *friction* and the rinsing that does it. Plain soap helps *some*. The harm from antibacterial soaps outweighs the benefits.

"The rule applies only to consumer hand washes and soaps"

Not having read the exact language of the ban, I'm not sure whether this covers soap that is in dispensers in restrooms in stores, schools, etc.

In the schools in which I substitute teach, we are asked always to give each kid a squirt of Purell before they eat or after entering the room. I hate to see this and wish they'd go back to regular hand-washing, more difficult that it may be.

What, no handwashing before lunch??

Nope, just a squirt of anti-bacterial gel. Ugh.

What I read is that gels and wipes are not banned. Just soaps and shampoos etc.

I still would rather see some evidence before running off half-cocked. There hasn't been one "super bug" produced yet from antibacterial soap. Not one documented as yet. But the raging paranoia runs rampant. I'm not overly concerned either way, keeping it or not but totally banning it seems wrong. My surgeon endorses the use of antibacterial soaps for surgery prep and I think that is just common sense. Too bad paranoia takes priority over common sense so often these days. Reminds me of they hysteria and ignorance over high fructose corn syrup and the term GMO.

Cynic, there is no total ban, the ruling applies only to consumer hand washes and soaps and only those that contain certain chemicals. Commercial antibacterial soaps for surgery prep would not seem to be affected.

Why aren't they banning it in toys and household goods? Seems they are going after the soap companies but leaving all the other's along. I smell environmental goofballs behind this.

I agree with Cynic. The proof should come the accuser, not the manufacturer. They banned this not on the basis of proof that that it does harm but on the premise that it has been not been proven to improve the performance of soaps. However they are leaving it in toothpaste because the dental industry has said toothpaste with the ingredients g fights bacteria leading to gingivitis. Show me the studies.

Meanwhile supplemental woo-woo industry gets a pass, as does the cosmetic industry while people slather all kinds of under regulated potions on themselves, including the dangerous overuse of sunscreen because it is automatically added to so many products. I can't buy silver dragees here to decorate cookies but the health nuts can ingest colloidal silver. Go figure.