Triclocarban (TCC) – an antibacterial and fungi agent, which scientific reports suggest is injurious to the human health, have been found in some soaps on the Ghanaian market.
Investigations carried out by The Chronicle in the last two months have established a modicum of TCC, which has been banned in the advanced countries, in three antibacterial soaps in Ghana, namely Santex, Camel and Medisoft.
A lot of Ghanaians are unaware that they can cause health complications among users of the products.
TCC, which is also known as Trichlorocarbanilide or Solubacter, is commonly used in soaps, toothpaste, deodorants and other cleaning products.
The said chemical has been phased out of personal care products like soap.
The worrying development, this paper gathered, is that these medicated/antibacterial soaps have been on the Ghanaian market for quite some time now.
Per scientific research, TCC has a high environmental persistence and extensively metabolised in rodents, monkeys and humans.
Amongst some of the shortcomings of TCC, as reported in the world, are disruption of hormone cycles and muscle weakness.
Although this paper has seen only three soaps containing TCC in them, there could be a lot more products out there on the Ghanaian markets.
On a visit to two shopping centres in Kumasi, The Chronicle sighted a lot of these products on sale to unsuspecting customers.
One of the soaps, Camel Antibacterial, produced by Cussons Carex (Nigeria), an offshoot of PZ Cussons, The Chronicle sighted a statement of recommendation on the package of the said PZ Cussons product by the Ghana Medical Association (GMA).
Medisoft, which is produced in Ghana by Peace Indo-Ghana Limited, also has the logo of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) on the package, telling Ghanaians it is safe and friendly to the skin.
But checks from the FDA have revealed that the GMA has not presented any letter of endorsement to the FDA seeking to endorse Camel Antibacterial soap, which is produced in Nigeria.
Although this paper has not conducted an independent laboratory test on the said products to establish whether indeed TCC is found in them, one of the ingredients, as listed on the packages of these soaps, is TCC, which has been banned in some countries.
The Chronicle investigations established that in 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), concerned about the claims by the producers and the lack of evidence supporting them, issued a directive requiring antibacterial soap manufacturers to provide clinical evidence that their products were superior to non-antibacterial soaps.
Since no such evidence was received, the American FDA ruled in 2017 that no less than 24 antibacterial agents should no longer be sold over-the-counter (OTC) without formal premarket approval, effectively banning them.
Among some of the chemicals which were banned are Cloflucarban, Fluorosalan, Hexachlorophene, Hexylresorcinol, Iodine complex (ammonium ether sulfate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate), Iodine complex (phosphate ester of alkylaryloxy polyethylene glycol) among others.
In an interview with Dr. Martin Agyei, a Dermatologist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), as to whether it is safe to have TCC in soaps and other products, he noted that TCC is an antibacterial and fungi of Triclocarborn, which is the first compound, and it resembles it in so many things.
According to him, TCC attacks bacteria and fungi enzymes present in humans, which makes it relatively safe to use.
He noted that over the past 35 years, TCC had been found in soaps, deodorants, toothpastes and other products because of the properties in it.
However, he disclosed that recent scientific findings conducted on animals (such as mice) have established that TCC is injurious to the health of humans.
The KATH dermatologist continued that in the developed world, they experiment chemicals on animals and the results are published.
Dr. Martin Agyei asserted that TCC was found as an unhealthy chemical because it is harmful to human health.
According to him, in medicine, they use newly manufactured products on animals (such as mice) first, and when they think the chemical is safe, they then try it on human beings, adding that TCC is not the only compound to suffer this fate.
He revealed that some products used on the skin get into the blood through the veins. He further indicated that TCC reduces immunity in general, and increases rates of asthma and enzyma, adding that if a child starts using it, it affects the proper functioning of his or her heart, adding that TCC also has negative effect on sterility.
The KATH Specialist told The Chronicle that the American FDA findings on the chemical are not different from us (Ghana).
“What is good for the goose is also good for the gander,” he said, adding that TCC has been used for so many years, but the market women do not know the side effects of the chemical.
The KATH specialist pointed out that as TCC related products come onto the market people have access to it and use it for longer periods and that it is the FDA which should be up and doing against its usage.
Quizzed on the efficacy of medicated soaps over non-medicated soaps, the medical officer disclosed that if one wants an ideal soap, it should be the one that cannot change the natural PH of the body that God has given to mankind.
In demystifying misconceptions about so-called medicated/antibacterial soaps to The Chronicle, Dr. Agyei explained that there are some germs on the skin, which he named as floral germs, and tht these germs are good for the skin because they fight harmful germs.
He added that the floral germs produce an oil called sebum, which protects the skin.
He indicated that there are some conditions under which alkaline soaps are used, but normally they do not promote antiseptic soaps.
When The Chronicle spoke to some people on the streets, it came to light that they did not know about the dangerous chemical.
Madam Dinah Bemah, an ice-water seller, told The Chronicle that she isn’t aware of any TCC chemicals in soaps.
A woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted that she has not heard of TCC before, much less the effects it has on the human body.
When The Chronicle called Peace Indo-Ghana, producers of Medisoft to ascertain why they are still using TCC in their product, a lady who responded took down the telephone number of this reporter and promised to call back.
About an hour later, the woman sent a text message which read: “Mr Owusu, my boss says we have good standings with all our products and follow all due process and regulations (by the FDA and GSA) and we have legal certificates from them, which you can confirm from them for any doubts. Thanks.”
But the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Dr. Kofi Amponsah Bediako, in a telephone interaction with this paper, explained that about a year ago, the authority approved Medisoft, and since then the producers have not come for further approval.
He was emphatic that the Medisoft that the GSA certified about a year ago did not contain TCC in them, and that the chemical was not written as one of the chemical composition of the said soap.
According to Dr Amponsah Bediako, a few weeks ago, they embarked on their routine surveillance where they picked some soaps for testing, and the results would be ready in two weeks time.
When asked whether the GSA is aware of the dangers of TCC, Dr Kofi Amponsah responded in the affirmative.
According to him, TCC is injurious to human health and they do not encourage its use at all in Ghana.
He continued that once they find out that TCC is among the ingredients in a product, they will ban it and report the producers to the police.
In the case of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) endorsing Camel antibacterial soap, which also has TCC as one of its ingredients, Dr. Justice Yankson, General-Secretary of the association, told this reporter via phone that his outfit had not recommended any soap.
Dr. Justice Yankson said: “We do not have the power to approve soaps in Ghana.” However, he noted that once the FDA approves of soap in Ghana, other issues are secondary.
When this reporter contacted the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Mr. Emmanuel Nkrumah, an officer at the Department of Cosmetics, said the FDA does not know TCC, and that what the authority knows is that TCC has properties similar to Triclosan.
The Chronicle then told him that the Triclosan he mentioned, as a harmful chemical, has been banned in some countries, but the FDA officer explained that it depends on the properties which are found in them in a particular country.
He explained that FDA enforces directives from the GSA, and if the GSA has banned a product or restricted its use, then that is what the FDA ensures in their activities.
When Mr Emmanuel Nkrumah was asked if the TCC is evident in some products in Ghana, he said: “I would not say so. I am not in a position to say so.”
According to him, people bring a lot of products onto the market through unapproved routes. However, he indicated that the FDA has been embarking on surveillance in some of the markets to inspect products and to prevent unwholesome products from being sold to unsuspecting consumers.
In an attempt to speak to PZ Cussons, the paper sent a questionnaire via email and a lady called this reporter on Tuesday, May 28, 2020, around 14:40 pm, that they had received the questionnaire and assured The Chronicle that PZ Cussons will respond to them within ‘48 hours’.
When no message came through after the 48 hours as promised, the reporter sent an email seeking to remind the management about their response to the issue the paper had raised, but they did not respond as at the time of going to press on Sunday night.
Meanwhile, there is limited information on Santex Soap, hence The Chronicle could not reach the manufacturers to hear their side of the story.
The post Harmful chemicals found in soaps in Ghana appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS