Triclosan: A review on systematic risk assessment and control from the perspective of substance flow analysis

Chu-Long Huang; Olusegun K Abass; Chang-Ping Yu

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.002

Triclosan: A review on systematic risk assessment and control from the perspective of substance flow analysis

Sci Total Environ. 2016 Oct 1:566-567:771-785. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.002. Epub 2016 May 28.

Authors

Chu-Long Huang¹, Olusegun K Abass², Chang-Ping Yu³

Affiliations

¹ Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799, Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China; Department of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Quanzhou Normal University, 398, Donghai Street, Quanzhou 362000, China; Xiamen Key Lab of Urban Metabolism, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China.
² Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799, Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China.
³ Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799, Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China; Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan. Electronic address: clhuang@iue.ac.cn.

PMID: 27239720
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.002

Abstract

Triclosan (TCS) is a broad spectrum antibacterial agent mainly used in Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products. Its increasing use over recent decades have raised its concentration in the environment, with commonly detectable levels found along the food web-from aquatic organisms to humans in the ecosystem. To date, there is shortage of information on how to investigate TCS's systematic risk on exposed organisms including humans, due to the paucity of systematic information on TCS flows in the anthroposphere. Therefore, a more holistic approach to mass flow balancing is required, such that the systematic risk of TCS in all environmental matrices are evaluated. From the perspective of Substance Flow Analysis (SFA), this review critically summarizes the current state of knowledge on TCS production, consumption, discharge, occurrence in built and natural environments, its exposure and metabolism in humans, and also the negative effects of TCS on biota and humans. Recent risk concerns have mainly focused on TCS removal efficiencies and metabolism, but less attention is given to the effect of mass flows from source to fate during risk exposure. However, available data for TCS SFA is limited but SFA can derive logical systematic information from limited data currently available for systematic risk assessment and reduction, based on mass flow analysis. In other words, SFA tool can be used to develop a comprehensive flow chart and indicator system for the risk assessment and reduction of TCS flows in the anthroposphere, thereby bridging knowledge gaps to streamline uncertainties related to policy-making on exposure pathways within TCS flow-lines. In the final analysis, specifics on systematic TCS risk assessment via SFA, and areas of improvement on human adaptation to risks posed by emerging contaminants are identified and directions for future research are suggested.

Keywords: Comprehensive flow chart; Substance flow analysis; Systematic data; Systematic risk assessment; Triclosan.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Anti-Infective Agents, Local / adverse effects
Aquatic Organisms / drug effects*
Humans
Risk Assessment
Triclosan / adverse effects*
Water Pollutants, Chemical / adverse effects*

Substances

Anti-Infective Agents, Local
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Triclosan