According to the French health magazine topsante on December 1, a new study published in the Journal of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States shows that the antibacterial triclosan can induce liver cancer. It is widely found in soap, toothpaste, detergent, carpet, paint and school supplies.
In September, researchers from the French National Institute of health and Medicine issued a statement saying that triclosan even exists in the duvet, or that disordered pregnancy affects fetal development.
Scientists have proved through experiments on mice that this antibacterial agent can also induce cancer formation. Researchers at the University of California exposed mice equivalent to 18-year-old humans to triclosan for six months. As a result, tumors appeared in the liver of the mice.
Tui Ke, the author of the study and a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, explained that triclosan is harmful to the liver because it interferes with a constitutive androstane receptor protein that helps detoxify blood. After interference, the liver will produce too many cells, leading to liver fibrosis and canceration.
The other author of the report, Bruce C? Moke added that triclosan is found in many consumer goods, which brings convenience to people and is harmful to human body. Consumers should try to avoid products rich in triclosan, such as hand sanitizer.
Leave a Reply