Is antibacterial soap bad for you? Study finds chemical in soap caused cancer in mice

Antibacterial soap has generally been trusted and viewed as a product that will help users get rid of bacterias and germs. However, a new study found that a chemical in antibacterial soap promoted liver tumor growth in mice. 

The finding, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, comes amid closer scrutiny of the possible health effects of the widely used substance.

"Triclosan's increasing detection in environmental samples and its increasingly broad use in consumer products may overcome its moderate benefit and present a very real risk of liver toxicity for people, as it does in mice," study researcher Robert Tukey, a professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, said in a statement.

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent of broad-spectrum and one of the most common additives used in a wide range of consumer products, from kitchenware to toys. 

Previous studies have also found traces of the chemical in 97 percent of breast milk samples from lactating women and in the urine of nearly three-quarters of people tested. Triclosan is also common in the environment, being one of the seven most-frequently detected compounds in streams across the US.

However, it is important to note that this study is still new, so there is no way of knowing, right now, how much triclosan exposure would be necessary for humans to develop a similar carcinogenic atmosphere in the body.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing triclosan after multiple reports of its possible dangers.

Previous research has warned against pregnant women using triclosan for fear that it will disrupt fetal development. The chemical has been linked to a drop in sperm count.