Is your hand soap contaminating dolphins? The answer is probably
yes, if you live along the coast where bottlenose dolphins swim,
according to a new study. Researchers, according to a synopsis
in Environmental Health News, tested dolphins in South Carolina
and Florida waters, and found triclosan, an antibacterial agent,
in the blood of bottlenose dolphins. How could this be? The
waters tested have sewage plants, and the water flowing out of
our pipes is laced with triclosan. It's found in a variety of
products: antibacterial soaps, most notably, but also in
personal care products, socks, cutting boards, garbage bags and
other products -- any product that a manufacturer sees benefits
by killing bacteria to reduce odor or increase shelf life. When
it comes to soap, experts agree that vigorously washing with
regular soap and warm water for enough time to sing the "ABCs"
is more effective than using a chemical to kill bacteria, and
has none of the unintended side effects. Those unintended side
effects, in additio