[Pharmwaste] Minnesota bans anti-bacterial chemical from soaps

Tue May 20 12:47:44 EDT 2014

It also banned lead and mercury containing wheel weights, if you are interested in that. Triclosan was added to the lead/mercury ban bill as a floor amendment. There are links to the language in the article below.

It is also great to see that some of the larger manufacturers are phasing triclosan out ahead of time. I think a lot of manufacturers have had to remove it to sell products in the EU already, so... I feel like we're turning the tide to get more toxics removed from products. But sometimes it just leads to replacements for the original toxics that we have to track down as well (flame retardants). Hopefully they'll just leave well enough alone and not look for a replacement where none is needed.
House passes triclosan retail ban
By Charley Shaw
Consumer products containing the anti-bacterial ingredient triclosan could be banned from store shelves.
During the May 8 floor session, Rep. Melissa Hortman describes provisions of her bill HF2542/SF2192* which, in part, would expand current bans on the disposal of mercury-containing products. P
Sponsored by Rep. Melissa Hortman<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/membersR.asp?id=Rep_Melissa_Hortman> (DFL-Brooklyn Park), SF2192<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/bills/billnum.asp?Billnumber=SF2192&ls_year=88&session_year=2013&session_number=0> also would ban lead and mercury in certain products. The House passed the bill 92-38 Thursday. Because Hortman inserted the contents of the House companion, HF2542<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/bills/billnum.asp?Billnumber=HF2542&ls_year=88&session_year=2013&session_number=0>, the bill returns to the Senate where Sen. John Marty<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/membersR.asp?id=Sen_John_Marty> (DFL-Roseville) is the sponsor. The Senate passed its bill 57-0 May 2.
Triclosan is used in products like hand soaps and toothpastes. Studies have raised concerns that triclosan disrupts the endocrine system.
[Watch full video of Thursday's floor session here<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/archivesHFS.asp?ls_year=88>]
Rep. Diane Loeffler<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/membersR.asp?id=Rep_Diane_Loeffler> (DFL-Mpls) successfully offered a floor amendment that would ban retailers from selling cleaning products containing triclosan that are used for sanitizing or hand and body cleansing, effective Jan. 1, 2017. The prohibition wouldn't apply to products that have approval for consumer use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The triclosan discussion came less than three days after the House defeated a floor amendment, also offered by Loeffler, that proposed a more far-reaching triclosan ban during  debate<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/sessiondaily/SDView.aspx?StoryID=5273> on HF2402<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/bills/billnum.asp?Billnumber=HF2402&ls_year=88&session_year=2013&session_number=0>, the omnibus health and human services policy bill.
Among the variety products that are addressed in SF2192<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/bills/billnum.asp?Billnumber=SF2192&ls_year=88&session_year=2013&session_number=0>, wheel weights and balancing products that contain lead and mercury would be prohibited.
An amendment that was successfully offered by Rep. Denny McNamara<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/membersR.asp?id=Rep_Denny_McNamara> (R-Hastings) would push back the effective date for the wheel weights and balancing products section in the bill from July 1, 2015, to Jan. 1, 2016. Hortman supported the amendment noting it would "give the industry a little bit more time to turn to an alternate before the statute affects them."
Rep. Joe Mullery<http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/membersR.asp?id=Rep_Joe_Mullery> (DFL-Mpls) successfully offered an amendment that would direct the Pollution Control Agency to develop an environmental justice policy that "promotes fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, income, or education level."

From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us [mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Jeff Hollar
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 9:45 AM
To: 'DeBiasi, Deborah (DEQ)'; pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] Minnesota bans anti-bacterial chemical from soaps

Wow - That is big news and a step in the right direction.  I anticipate other states will follow suit.

Jeff Hollar
President
PharmWaste Technologies, Inc.
Urbandale, IA 50322
515-276-5302 (general)
515-331-7310 (direct)
515-360-9785 (cell)
www.pwaste.com<http://www.pwaste.com/>

From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us<mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us> [mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of DeBiasi, Deborah (DEQ)
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 9:04 AM
To: (pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us<mailto:pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us>)
Subject: [Pharmwaste] Minnesota bans anti-bacterial chemical from soaps

http://news.yahoo.com/minnesota-bans-anti-bacterial-chemical-205151860.html;_ylt=AwrBJR6BcHpTG20AdzXQtDMD

Minnesota bans anti-bacterial chemical from soaps
Minnesota bans common anti-bacterial chemical from soaps as pressure on industry grows
[Associated Press]<http://www.ap.org/>
By Steve Karnowski, Associated Press15 hours ago
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Soaps containing the antibacterial chemical triclosan are displayed on a shelf at a Minneapolis pharmacy Monday, May 19, 2014. Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday signed a bill to make Minnesota the first state to ban the use of triclosan in retail consumer cleaning products, starting Jan. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- It's widely used nationwide as a germ-killing ingredient in soaps, deodorants and even toothpaste, but it's being banned in Minnesota.
Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday signed a bill to make Minnesota the first state to prohibit the use of triclosan in most retail consumer hygiene products. The Minnesota House and Senate passed it earlier last week because of health and environmental concerns about the chemical. The ban isn't due to take effect until Jan. 1, 2017, but one of its lead sponsors, state Sen. John Marty, predicted Monday that the odds are good that most manufacturers will phase out triclosan by then anyway.
"While this is an effort to ban triclosan from one of the 50 states, I think it will have a greater impact than that," Marty said.
The Roseville Democrat said other states and the federal government are likely to act, too. And he said come companies are already catching on that there's no marketing advantage to keeping triclosan in its products. He noted that Procter & Gamble's Crest toothpaste is now marketing itself as triclosan-free.
Triclosan is used in an estimated 75 percent of anti-bacterial liquid soaps and body washes sold across the United States, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The federal agency announced last year that it would revisit the safety of triclosan and other germ-killing ingredients used in personal cleaning products. While triclosan hasn't been shown to be hazardous to humans, studies have raised concerns that it can disrupt hormones critical for reproduction and development, at least in lab animals, and contribute to the development of resistant bacteria.
Critics including the FDA say there's no evidence that triclosan soaps are any more effective than washing with plain soap and water for preventing the spread of diseases. A University of Minnesota study published last year found increasing levels of triclosan in the sediments of several lakes, and that the chemical can break down in those waters into potentially harmful dioxins. Two months later, Dayton ordered all state agencies to stop buying hand soaps and dish and laundry cleaners containing triclosan.
The American Cleaning Institute had urged Dayton to veto the new bill, saying triclosan has been thoroughly researched and shown to provide important health benefits.
"Instead of letting federal regulators do their jobs, the legislation would take safe, effective and beneficial products off the shelves of Minnesota grocery, convenience and drug stores," Douglas Troutman, the trade group's vice president and counsel for governmental affairs, wrote in a letter to Dayton.
ACI spokesman Brian Sansoni said Minnesota is the only state to enact a ban so far. He said it remains to be seen whether any individual manufacturers would go to the expense of reformulating their products just for the Minnesota market or simply stop selling them in the state. He said triclosan is an issue best regulated at the federal level.
Under an FDA rule proposed in December, manufacturers of anti-bacterial hand soaps and body washes would have to demonstrate that their products are safe for daily use, and more effective than plain soap and water. Otherwise, they would need to reformulate these products or remove anti-bacterial claims from the labels. The agency is still taking public comments on the proposal.
Some manufacturers have announced plans over the last couple years to at least partially phase out triclosan. Procter & Gamble plans to finish dropping the chemical from its products this year. Johnson & Johnson plans to eliminate it from all its consumer products by 2015.

Deborah L. DeBiasi
Email:   Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov<mailto:Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov>
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov<http://www.deq.virginia.gov/>
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Water Permits
Industrial Pretreatment/Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) Program
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents
http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/PermittingCompliance/PollutionDischargeElimination/Microconstituents.aspx
Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218
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PH:         804-698-4028      FAX:      804-698-4032

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