The Triclosan was patented in 1964 by the Swiss company Ciba-Geigy, which produced Triclosan until 2007, with Novartis.
In 2008, BASF acquired the business and manufactured triclosan under the trade name of Irgasan DP3001
In 2008, BASF acquired the business and manufactured triclosan under the trade name of Irgasan DP3001
--> Could Impact BASF today
FT Article
Scientists link household products and antibiotic resistance
University of Birmingham research fuels concerns that exposure to triclosan is harmful
Scientists have found new evidence of a link between a common kind of household disinfectant and resistance to antibiotics.
Researchers have discovered a connection between a major mechanism of antibiotic resistance and the disinfectant triclosan, which is often found in domestic products such as toothpaste and make-up.
The study, which was carried out at the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham, in collaboration with The Quadram Institute and John Innes Centre based at Norwich Research Park, was published on Monday in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
The World Health Organization last year described antimicrobial resistance as “an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society”.
The latest research found bacteria that mutated to become resistant to quinolone antibiotics — an important class of human medicines — also became more resistant to triclosan.
Dr Mark Webber, from the Quadram Institute and honorary senior lecturer at the University of Birmingham, said it appeared bacteria were tricked into thinking they were always under attack, and were then primed to deal with other threats including triclosan.
“The worry is that this might happen in reverse and triclosan exposure might encourage growth of antibiotic resistant strains,” he said.
The researchers said there had been a surge in the last decade in the marketing of products labelled as “antimicrobial”, despite a lack of evidence that they are superior to traditional cleaning products, such as bleach or soap and water.
Triclosan in particular has caused concerns, and its use in hygiene products, such as hand, skin and body washes, is now banned across the EU and the US.
Last week, more than 200 scientists and doctors signed a statement, published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, warning of the “hazards of and lack of demonstrated benefit from common uses of triclosan”.
Prof Laura Piddock of the University of Birmingham, said the link between quinolone and triclosan resistance found in the latest research was important because “triclosan has become ubiquitous in the environment and even human tissues in the last 20 years”.
Given its prevalence, there needed to be a better understanding of the link with antibiotic resistance, she suggested.
“Not all household disinfectants select for bacteria that are antibiotic resistant, but it seems that triclosan does,” said Prof Jodi Lindsay of the Institute of Infection and Immunity at St George’s, University of London. “We should consider limiting the use of these products.”
Dr Kim Hardie, associate professor in molecular microbiology at the University of Nottingham, suggested that the research’s relevance to more “real life” situations needed to be investigated further.
“The study highlights how more information is required to make an informed decision about changing daily practice at home and in hospitals in the UK in line with other countries that have already banned triclosan,” she said.