Chemicals in our toothpaste

Toothpaste is an oral care product that almost everybody uses throughout the world but a lot don’t think too hard about what the ingredients inside this product actually are and what possible health effects they may have on a person. I am looking into toothpaste to try and find out exactly what goes inside this product, what their purpose is, and what possible side effects they may have if any. My main point here is to find out if the major toothpaste brands are safe or if they have any ingredients within them that could have adverse health effects on children or any person. After looking into major brands of toothpaste I found a lot of ingredients in them that I had never heard of, along with a few that I knew about. One of the most well known and the one most widespread was fluoride which most people know about due to its widespread use in the US for the prevention of tooth decay and cavities. They even put fluoride in the drinking water. Sodium lauryl sulfate or SLS is another chemical used in some toothpastes that caught my eye. SLS is a foaming agent that causes the toothpaste to foam. I noticed some brands had an SLS alternative and thought this was interesting because there must be a lot of people looking for an alternative in order for a company to make it. Another ingredient in toothpaste I am looking into is triclosan or TCS which is an antimicrobial chemical used in toothpaste. TCS caught my eye because it was recently banned by the FDA in other care products like soap and body washes. According to the FDA and its website, Triclosan was banned from these products because it failed to prove its effectiveness and its safety regarding its use in care products. There are many studies out looking at the efficacy of triclosan in toothpaste and the risks involved. According to the FDA website there have been animal studies done that concluded TCS caused a decrease in thyroid hormones and that it was also an endocrine disruptor.

SLS or sodium lauryl sulfate is a foaming agent added to many home care products in the United States. It is used widespread and is in many toothpaste brands across the US unlike Triclosan which is only in Colgate brand toothpastes. SLS makes the toothpaste turn into an instant lather and take up a greater surface area in the mouth in order to clean more places. However, there are some risks involved with the use of sodium lauryl sulfate. Many studies have been done that show sodium lauryl sulfate can increase the incidence of aphthous ulcers in people (Herlofson and Barkvoll, 1994). The denaturing effect of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) on the mucin layer inside the mouth increases the risk of ulcers. Another risk of SLS is the fact that it can cause canker sores or even bad breath! ALl of these findings are more correlational rather than proving causation, however correlation is a good start as scientific studies continue to be held in order to find out what is going on.

The last part of toothpaste that I looked into a lot was fluoride which is in Colgate Total brand toothpastes at 0.24%(0.14% w/v fluoride ion). On the back of the tooth paste it says to contact poison control immediately if swallowed which I found to be alarming, toothpaste should not be poisonous or toxic to the human body. Fluoride is the reason that this warning label is on there and once again is especially put there for children who may swallow a lot of toothpaste. Stomach aches can occur if swallowed and other symptoms can occur if a child swallows a lot which can cause more acute effects. Children are supposed to only use a small pea sized amount of toothpaste when they brush their teeth. Another possible outcome of using fluoride a lot is fluorosis which stains the teeth white (Murray, 1999).

There are tens of thousands of chemicals in use in the United States, many of them have a lot of studies proving them unsafe, yet they remain on the market to be used and bought by your average consumer. When most people buy things they assume that it is safe for them and their families to consume or be in close contact with and are not sure what is in most of their daily items they use for care. Do you ever read the packaging for many of your personal care products like your toothpaste? Most people never do and just use the same product without knowing what they are exposing their bodies to. The big brand toothpastes all have harsh chemicals, abrasives, and other things that have been hypothesized to be unhealthy and effect the developing body of a child. Sodium lauryl sulfate is one of these chemicals, it is used to make the toothpaste foam but can cause canker sores in the mouth. Triclosan is a big one of these chemicals that is a problem. Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent that is used in Colgate toothpastes and its benefits claimed by Colgate-Palmolive says it reduces plaque and gingivitis. However, there is no evidence that suggests it works better than other methods of brushing your teeth. The FDA actually banned the use of triclosan in hand soaps since they found no evidence that it worked better than soap without triclosan in it and the benefits did not outweigh the risks. So this poses the question, why are these products with chemicals in them allowed to be sold to the public?

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 is a law enacted by the Environmental Protection agency or EPA that looks into and regulates the use of these chemicals in everyday products. However, there are many people that think this law is to lax when it comes to chemicals and that new legislation should be put in place to strengthen the regulations. TSCA compared to the legislation put in place in the European Union does not seem to be doing its job very well. The EU does a much better job keeping its chemical use to a minimum and making it much harder for new chemicals to become available on the free market. Here in America chemicals are considered safe until proven dangerous rather than considered dangerous until proven safe. The way we do it we allow the chemical to do its damage before it is banned to be used anymore. In the case of triclosan it is a known endocrine disruptor which is found in the blood in urine of almost every person and is known to cause health problems, yet it is still allowed to be used in toothpaste and other products. A lot of the problem has to do with the government like the EPA and FDA which are supposed to protect the american civilians from things like this. The use of chemicals are not all bad, don’t get me wrong I am not trying to say that all chemicals should be banned, but I am trying to advocate strengthened laws to be put in place to not allow chemicals to be put in use unless it is proven safe.

Triclosan is a known endocrine disruptor and also a suspected carcinogen. Let’s start off with answering a question many people may have, what is an endocrine disruptor? An endocrine disruptor is a chemical that can interfere with the endocrine system which is responsible for the bodies hormones. These disruptors can have a great effect on the body including many developmental effects, they have a profound effect on children but still affect all humans. The endocrine system is a very important function in the body, when a child is still developing hormones are very important to allow brain and body development for a healthy future. With these chemicals that can disrupt hormones can cause many developmental problems in children.

These kinds of detrimental consequences should not come about just from wanting clean teeth, this chemical has no place being used in products that we use more than once a day. When it comes to doing something as simple as brushing your teeth these harsh chemicals should be nowhere near your toothpaste. With developmental problems like ADD,ADHD, autism, and many others becoming much more widespread many people point to the massive numbers of endocrine disruptors as the main culprit for the huge rise in these conditions. In a capitalistic society these companies main goal is to make as much profit as possible for themselves and their shareholders to continue to build their brand rather than the focus being on the health and safety of the consumer. With this being said there is a light at the end of the tunnel, we are not doomed and there is a lot that can be done to make a difference in the world as it is today. There are many companies arising and becoming more prevalent nowadays that are selling all natural products without these chemicals in them to cater to the consumer that is educated on the subject. That is the reason for this blog, to educate anybody that will listen about the things going on in the world like the use of chemicals in everyday household products. It is very important that people know about the issue because most people will not continue to buy these chemicals if they knew they were in the products and if they knew what their possible side effects were.

Having many options with regards to the ingredients in our care products is very important and should be encouraged as a free market society. There is no one solution to the problem at hand, however there are many things that can be done to alter the way things are going and to stop the widespread use of chemicals like triclosan in products that we use. We cast a vote every time we spend money on a company’s product or service, by paying companies we allow them to continue to make their products. Buying natural ingredients that do not have harsh chemicals or endocrine disruptors in them is the best way to get rid of them. The word is spreading about this problem, and it is only a matter of time before healthy alternatives are more the norm in society.

Companies like Tom’s of Maine and Jason have come out with alternative toothpastes without the use of fluoride, SLS, triclosan, or any harsh abrasives that could cause problems with your enamel. They provide all sorts of options for the consumer that most companies do not offer, this is definitely a good way to start dealing with the problem at hand with chemicals and other things similar. Both Toms and Jason offer products without sodium lauryl sulfate, fluoride and triclosan and do a pretty good job at cleaning your teeth. A good part of the solution to the problem is to do your due diligence and research the ingredients in your products and the companies that produce them not just picking the toothpaste with the prettiest box or buying because that is what you have always used. These companies are still selling a lot of products with chemicals in them because many people do not research what they are buying and are generally unaware of other options. Another good way to avoid these chemicals like triclosan and SLS is to make your own products, there are many websites out there that teach you how to make your own toothpaste or shampoo that are very useful. It is not for everybody, but knowing all of the options on the table is a good start to combat this huge problem in the world and the United States of America alike. Making your own toothpaste is not for every consumer out there, but it is a good way to know for sure what is inside of your toothpaste.

After reviewing all of the literature and studies I find that it is safe to say that there is a correlation between the chemicals I have listed in this literature review and the negative health effects on humans. Animal studies are widely used in order to see the effects of certain chemicals on living beings. In the rat study I cited they subjected the rats to a normal amount that a human would take in and still found negative health effects. Triclosan or TCS has been under review since the 90’s to figure out its health effects. Even the FDA has banned this chemical in products that we use like soap and other cleansers. They state that there is not enough evidence to prove its safety or that it works better than the alternatives, yet TCS is still allowed in some household products like toothpaste to this day. Something should have to be proven safe before it is put into use rather and sold on the market to consumers rather than be put on the market and have to be proven unsafe. The regulations of the United States of America are very lax in contrast to the European Union which has a lot of chemicals banned that the US still allows on its shelves. Having all of these ingredients in our everyday used products that most people know nothing about should not be the norm in our society, natural alternatives with all natural ingredients should become the norm. A lot of companies are taking shortcuts nowadays in order to make their product cheaper (although it may have adverse effects on human health and the surrounding environment) as we can see with SLS. Based on the research I have done I feel it is safe to say that our toothpaste should not contain triclosan, SLS, harsh abrasives or any other thing that could affect our health. Toothpastes one job is to clean our teeth not to introduce us to harsh chemicals that could make us sick. This huge problem with being surrounded by chemicals throughout the day is a very big problem, but as talked about earlier has many solutions. Endocrine disrupting chemicals and pesticides are bioaccumulating in the environment and in our own bodies. They may be in very low doses, but many of them are active as very small unit of even parts per billion! Educating the world about what is in the products they use, and exploring the options out there in the world is crucial to combat the problem with the use of chemicals so often. Talking with your representatives and with your local, state, and federal governments are also a good way to solve this problem, let them know you are not satisfied with how things are done. In the end we have a huge health problem nowadays even with huge benefits from medical technology, this should not be the case and the world should continue to evolve and live in a more sustainable and safe way.

Citations:

1. Goodman, M., Naiman, D. Q., & Lakind, J. S. (2017). Systematic review of the literature on triclosan and health outcomes in humans. Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 48(1), 1–51. doi:10.1080/10408444.2017.1350138

2) Paul, K. B., Hedge, J. M., Devito, M. J., & Crofton, K. M. (2010). Developmental triclosan exposure decreases maternal and neonatal thyroxine in rats. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 29(12), 2840–2844. doi:10.1002/etc.339

3) Yueh, M., & Tukey, R. H. (2016). Triclosan: A Widespread Environmental Toxicant with Many Biological Effects. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 56(1), 251–272. doi:10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010715–103417

4) Herlofson, B. B., & Barkvoll, P. (1994). Sodium lauryl sulfate and recurrent aphthous ulcers: A preliminary study. Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 52(5), 257–259. doi:10.3109/00016359409029036

5) Murray, J. J. (1999). Oral hygiene: An investigation into the ingestion of fluoride from toothpaste by young children. British Dental Journal, 186(9), 456–456. doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.4800139

6) Commissioner, O. O. (2017, December 19). Consumer Updates — 5 Things to Know About Triclosan. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm205999.htm