Chemical Linked to Cancer Found in Colgate Total
Triclosan, a Chemical that the Company Claims to be an Anti-Bacterial Causes Infertility and Cancer
Colgate has been believed to be the best toothpaste brand across the world. The brand claims to fight plaque and gingivitis and states that the chemical triclosan is what protects the gums from these diseases.
This particular chemical is extremely harmful and causes cancer. The toothpaste was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997, and it relied on company backed by science to research and reach its conclusion, reported Bloomber News. Though the FDA did point to the dangers of the chemical in increasing the risk of cancer, Colgate assured them that the chemical was dangerous only in large doses.
Business and financial site Bloomberg News conducted an investigation into the recently-released approval papers of Colgate Total by the US Food and Drug Administration. They found shocking facts. The papers also contained a research done by Colgate-Palmolive which showed that the chemical hindered the development of animals. It caused bone malfunctions in mice.
"The scientific findings Colgate put forward to establish triclosan's safety in toothpaste weren't black and white - and weren't, until this year, available to the public," the website reported. A 2003 study found triclosan in the urine of 75 per cent of 2,517 Americans. The tests were conducted by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Another shocking revelation was the results of a 2013 study that found triclosan reduced sperm production in rats.
Scientists told the website, "The recently released pages, taken alongside new research on triclosan, raise questions about whether the agency did appropriate due diligence in approving Total 17 years ago."
Two separate studies shed light on the dangers of the antibacterial triclosan. One study found that the chemical caused breast cancer in mice and another revealed that it also caused neurological damage to the mice.
Colgate in its defence stated that the safety of Colgate Total was backed by 80 clinical studies involving 19,000 people. Colgate spokesman Thomas DiPiazza said, "In the nearly 18 years that Colgate Total has been on the market in the US, there has been no signal of a safety issue from adverse-event reports."
