Triclosan is not necessarily an household name, but the products that it is found in certainly are.
Researchers says it's antibacterial and anti fungal attributes makes it useful in toothpastes, detergents, soaps and mouthwashes.
Since 1964, when it was first patented, the chemical has grown I popularity to become one of the most widly used ingredients of it's kind.
Triçlosan is now added to a range of items such as beddings, socks, toys to slow down the buildup of bacteria and fungi.
A study run by the Centre for disease control and prevention in the United States says the chemical which is generally considered safe, has become worryingly ubiquitous. For instance almost 75% of the urine samples they tested contained triçlosan.
The research also states that the compound has also been found in blood plasma and breast milk and it is known to be widly distributed throughout the planets rivers, stream, ocean and reservoirs.
The united States geological survey reveals that bevause of it's potential role in anti-microbial resistance and endocrine disruption, and it's theoretical effects on the immune system, it has been deemed a containment of emerging concern.
Medicalnewstoday.com states that a study published recently in the journal science translational medicine, led by Guiding Zhang, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, tested whether triçlosan might have any negative effects on gut health. The researchers used a mouse model to gain insight.
In order to investigate, they tested the impact of small doses of triçlosan on a range of mouse models. The scientists gave each mouse model a brief, low level exposure to triclosan.
In all mouse models used, triçlosan prompted inflammation of the colon, worsened symptoms of colitis, an inflammation if the linin of the colon and promoted colitis associated tumor growth.
Co author of the study Hang Xiao explains that some models were particularly sensitive, "We used a genetically engineered mouse model which develops spontaneous inflammatory bowel disease or IBD".
Treatment with triçlosan significantly increased the development of IBD in the mice, suggesting that IBD patients may need to reduce exposure to this compound
