Thuy Dung
In a document sent to the Daily, the ministry’s Drug Administration of Vietnam said Triclosan is allowed for use at content of under 0.3% in cosmetic products as a preservative, and can also be used for preventing bacterial contamination in accordance with the agreement on cosmetics among ASEAN countries.
The regulation is not only applied in ASEAN countries but in the European Union and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well, it said.
On the other hand, Colgate-Palmolive Vietnam announced a Triclosan concentration of 0.3% in some of its toothpaste products and up to date, health agencies of Vietnam and other regional countries have not received any safety warnings regarding the use of the chemical in cosmetic products.
Apart from cosmetics and toothpaste, the substance is included in different products such as foodstuff, hand cleanser, and shower cream, according to the drug department.
“In the coming time, the department will continue testing samples of cosmetics containing Triclosan and send the test results to provincial departments of health and drug administration agencies,” it said.
On August 12, Bloomberg cited a 35-page research report about impact of Triclosan found in Colgate Total toothpaste produced by Colgate-Pamolive. The investigation showed that the chemical is linked with cancer-cell growth and premature birth, and disrupts bone development in animals.
Meanwhile, Colgate-Pamolive said the research cannot prove that Triclosan is harmful to humans and stressed that the safety of Triclosan content in its product has been confirmed by more than 80 health studies on more than 19,000 people.
Thomas DiPiazza, spokesperson of Colgate, said during the last 18 years on the U.S. market, Colgate toothpaste has not showed any signs of doing harm for users.
DiPiazza also said that the company does not have any plan to change its toothpaste composition or remove Triclosan from Colgate Total toothpaste.
While Colgate Pamolive insists on keeping Triclosan in its products, its competitor Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) and other renowned cosmetics brands such as Avon and Johnson & Johnson have announced to remove the chemical from their products.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
