A reduction in triclosan and triclocarban in water resource recovery facilities’ influent, effluent, and biosolids following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 2013 proposed rulemaking on antibacterial products

Abstract

Pharmaceutical and personal care product compounds (PPCPs) comprise a large and diverse group of chemical compounds, including prescription and over‐the‐counter drugs and cleaning agents. Although PPCPs in the effluent and biosolids of water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) are currently not regulated, public interest has led the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to monitor for 11 PPCPs in the influent, effluent, and biosolids at its seven WRRFs. In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule establishing that 19 specific ingredients, including triclosan and triclocarban, were no longer generally recognized as safe and effective, which prohibits companies from marketing soaps as antibacterial if they contain one or more of these ingredients. It was presumed that since the proposed rulemaking in 2013, manufacturers began to remove these active ingredients from their products. Annual monitoring of 11 PPCPs from 2012 to 2017 demonstrated a 71% decrease in triclosan and 72% decrease in triclocarban in per capita influent loading into seven WRRFs. There was a 70% decrease in triclosan and 80% decrease in triclocarban concentrations in biosolids. These declines suggest the FDA rule for the reduction in use of these compounds was effective and resulted in manufacturers removing these ingredients from their products. Practitioner points Reduction in triclosan and triclocarban per capita influent loading observed from 2012 to 2017. Reduction in triclosan and triclocarban biosolids loading observed from 2012 to 2017. 2016 FDA rulemaking on antimicrobial soaps was effective in removing triclosan and triclocarban from these products. Positive impact on quality of biosolids land applied to farmland.

Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercially available biosolid‐based products: The effect of treatment processes

“…Implementation of control measures can rapidly reduce loads coming in our wastewater treatment plants. For example, Krogh, Lyons, and Lowe (2017) and Brose et al (2019) (Brose et al, 2019;Krogh et al, 2017) found statistically significant decreases in triclosan and/or triclocarban concentrations in wastewater influent in 2014 compared to previous years, which could be attributed to a policy change by the U.S. FDA affecting the source of these compounds in consumer products. Likewise, Andrade et al (2015) (Andrade et al, 2015) showed a decrease in brominated diphenyl ether (BDE)-47 and BDE-49 concentrations in wastewater influent that could be attributed to the phase-out of these compounds in manufacturing.…”

Searching for Small Molecules as Antibacterials: Non-Cytotoxic Diarylureas Analogues of Triclocarban

“…TCC is ranked in the top 10 Contaminant of Emerging Concern (CEC) occurrence. In September 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned its use in over-the-counter hand and body washes [15], but this compound still retained a large market demand [16]. More recent studies are devoted to the removal of TCC and its dechlorinated congeners from soil, given their toxicity [17].…”

Magnetron Sputtering Thin Films as Tool to Detect Triclosan in Infant Formula Powder: Electronic Tongue Approach

“…Triclosan (2,4,4 -Trichloro-2 -hydroxydiphenyl ether) corresponds to an antimicrobial agent that has been utilized for more than five decades as an antiseptic, disinfectant or preservative in clinical situations and numerous consumer products. TCS has been identified in wastewater treatment plants [1][2][3] and in surface water [4,5]. Recent publications of TCS describe various health effects, including endocrine-disruption, uncoupling mitochondria, among others [6,7].…”