Do not swallow after reading

Noseweek Issue #175, 1st May 2014   By Hilary Venables

In spite of growing concerns about over-use of potent antibacterials in the home, some manufacturers are determined to keep shoving these chemicals down our throats.

At the New York headquarters of Colgate-Palmolive  there has been much trumpeting of the results of a recent study into the effectiveness of its antibacterial toothpaste, Colgate Total.

Inexplicably, the FDA ruling compelling manufacturers to remove triclosan and triclocarban from their soaps unless they could prove they were safe and effective, targets only soaps. Other products containing these toxins, including toothpastes and mouthwashes, are to be left unexamined.