The Silent Killer: A Dishwasher's Part in our Gut Health
Since I was little, I've always hated the days that I was told to load and unload the dishwasher in my house. I would complain and groan the entire time I had to handle the hot and soggy dishes. However, once I got to college, I have slowly realized how convenient a dishwasher is when compared to manually washing every dish. When using a dishwasher, I don't have to touch the remnants of last night's dinner and all I really need to do is load the dishwasher and simply throw in a cleaning pod. Easy, right? Although this may sound more appealing, dishwashers may have more of a negative effect on us than we initially may think. What really is in the dishwasher pod that I mindlessly use to wash every dish? When I stop and thought about this, I realized that a dishwasher does also hold a HUGE role in my exposure of certain chemicals - I mean, I eat and drink using these dishes everyday. We focus on cleaning the food off of these dishes, but what if the real problem is the product in which we are using to clean?
Women's Health magazine encountered this question in their January 2023 article, 'Could Your Dishwashing Liquid Be Messing With Your Gut Health?'. In this article, the ingredient in question was triclosan, a chemical used as an antibacterial and antifungal agent in most dishwashing liquids. Through rigorous animal testing, it was discovered that triclosan is linked to an abnormal microbiota population found in our guts. These animals were then seen to develop symptoms alike to those of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and general metabolic disorders post-exposure to triclosan. Moreover, based upon their tests, it was determined that the negative effects of triclosan are shown more frequently to those who are immunocompromised.
According to the FDA in their 2021 article, '5 Things to Know About Triclosan', triclosan is an "ingredient added to many consumer products intended to reduce or prevent bacterial contamination." (FDA, 2021) This ingredient can be found in toothpaste, cleaning products, body washes, and even some cosmetic supplies. The FDA further supports the fact that triclosan has been connected to certain hormonal and gut microbial abnormalities, even providing the possibility of its connection to skin cancer post-UV ray exposure. Additionally, triclosan has been proved to introduce bacteria that are resisatnt to antibiotics as well as antimicrobioal products. However, the issue of triclosan is not new to the medical research community, in the last five years, the concerns have increasingly grown that triclosan is in our wastewater after it is used in households, such as in sinks and dishwashers.
The state of Minnesota released a public statement regarding levels of triclosan being found in their water sources back in 2019. In this statement, they admitted that triclosan had been detected in Minnesota wastewater facilities. Moreover, they revealed that triclosan can affect our hormonal levels and is connected to certain diseases of the liver, blood, thyroid, and reproductive systems. They went into further detail on the fact that people should stray from using products containing triclosan because they simply are not more effective than products without it. Additionally, they stated that, "Studies indicate that triclosan use may promote the spread of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics." (MDH, 2019) On a more environmental level, triclosan has also been showed to have a significant effect on fish and aquatic plants, therefore the levels of triclosan could possibly effect major aquatic ecosystems within our wastewater resources. All in all, next time you make a last-minute Target run to grab some dishwasher pods to finish your last load, look at the ingredients, it could save you a lot of trouble!
Citations:
MDH. “Triclosan and Drinking Water - Health.state.mn.us.” Minnesota Environmental Health Divison, MDH, Aug. 2019, https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/risk/docs/guidance/dwec/triclosaninfo.pdf.
Commissioner, Office of the. “5 Things to Know about Triclosan.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/5-things-know-about-triclosan.
Staff, WH. “Could Your Dishwashing Liquid Be Messing with Your Gut Health?” Women's Health, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.womenshealth.com.au/dish-washing-liquid-effect-on-gut-health/.