Antimicrobial used in products linked to increased allergy risk in kids

Clayton EMR. Environ Health Perspect. 2010;doi:10.1289/ehp.1002883.

Children and teens who are overexposed to antimicrobial in products, such as antibacterial soaps that contain the chemical triclosan, may be at increased risk for hay fever and other allergies. Exposure to higher levels of the chemical bisphenol A may weaken an adult’s immune system as well, according to researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent widely used in products such as antibacterial soaps, toothpaste, medical devices and diaper bags, and bisphenol A is used to make types of plastics and other consumer products and is believed to affect human hormones.

Researchers examined data from the 2003 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and compared levels of triclosan and bisphenol A in the urine with cytomegalovirus antibody levels and diagnosis of allergies or hay fever in adults and children aged older than 6 years.

“We found that people over age 18 with higher levels of bisphenol A exposure had higher cytomegalovirus antibody levels, which suggests their cell-mediated immune system may not be functioning properly,” Erin M. Rees Clayton, MD, PhD, research investigator for the Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, said in a press release.

Findings also demonstrated that children and teens with higher levels of triclosan were more likely to have been diagnosed with hay fever and other allergies.

“The triclosan findings in the younger age groups may support the ‘hygiene hypothesis,’ which maintains living in very clean and hygienic environments may impact our exposure to microorganisms that are beneficial for development of the immune system,” Allison Aiello, MD, an associate professor at the Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, said in a press release.

Triclosan may change the microorganisms that people are normally exposed to, which could affect children’s immune system development.

“It is possible that a person can be too clean for their own good,” Aiello said.

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