Greens win chemical reassessment

People’s homes are one step closer to being free of a potentially harmful chemical with the reassessment of triclosan, the Green Party said today.

Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that, following an application from the Green Party, triclosan can be put forward for reassessment of how it is used. Triclosan is found in hundreds of household products, including soap and toothpaste.

“This is a great win and the first step in getting this nasty ingredient out of people’s homes,” Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty said today.

“Triclosan is found in everything from toothpaste and antibacterial soap to paint. You can even find it in plastic and paper products. New Zealanders have it in so many products in their house, without even knowing it.

“The Green Party put this application in to the EPA because people should be safe in their homes without having to become scientists and detectives researching chemicals themselves. 

“New evidence has been published both in New Zealand and from the World Health Organisation linking triclosan to antibiotic resistance, the killing of freshwater fish by becoming a dioxin in wastewater, and affecting human hormones.

"This chemical is easily replaced in soaps by other safer products – we challenged Health Basics company to replace it in their soaps and they did.

“It’s great news for New Zealanders that the EPA is going to reassess triclosan in light of this new evidence,” said Ms Delahunty.

Latest Environment Announcements

Story

NZ needs strong protection against water privatisation

New Zealanders deserve strong protection against the future privatisation of water assets, the Green Party says.
Read More

Story

Nature missing in RMA reform

The Government has missed a crucial opportunity to redesign the resource management system with climate and nature at its heart. 
Read More

Story

Report shows reducing actual farming emissions vital

Evidence shows that relying on offsets to reduce agriculture’s impact on the climate will not work, the Green Party says.
Read More

Story

Budget 2022: Greens call for urgency with nature-first climate investments

Budget 2022 shows progress on conservation commitments in the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Green Party achievements in the last Government ...
Read More

Story

Nature needs us to act right now

The Green Party welcomes the release of the implementation plan for Te Mana o te Taiao Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy and calls on the ...
Read More

Story

Urgent action needed to bring natural environment back from the brink

The release today of Environment Aotearoa 2022 is a sobering reminder of what is at stake if the Government does not step up and take urgent action...
Read More