Minnesota 1st State To Ban Antibacterial Chemical Triclosan From Soap

"MINNEAPOLIS — It's widely used nationwide as a germ-killing ingredient in soaps, deodorants and even toothpaste, but it's being banned in Minnesota.

Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday signed a bill to make Minnesota the first state to prohibit the use of triclosan in most retail consumer hygiene products. The Minnesota House and Senate passed it earlier last week because of health and environmental concerns about the chemical. The ban isn't due to take effect until Jan. 1, 2017, but one of its lead sponsors, state Sen. John Marty, predicted Monday that the odds are good that most manufacturers will phase out triclosan by then anyway.

'While this is an effort to ban triclosan from one of the 50 states, I think it will have a greater impact than that,' Marty said."

Steve Karnowski reports for the Associated Press May 20, 2014.