In the article “Changing toothpastes? Change your toothbrush” by Alison Pearce Stevens is about a chemical called tricolasan that kills germs and how toothbrushes can absorb it. Triclosan was banned from many cleaning products by the U.S. Government and people tried triclosan-free toothpaste. However, toothbrushes can still have residue from toothpastes with triclosan which isn’t the safest. Engineers and chemists worked together with environmental chemists Jie Han and Baoshan Xing to experiment with this. They selected a range of 22 toothbrushes and 21 toothpastes and 6 of those had triclosan. The team, “They mixed one part toothpaste with three parts of a chemical mix that mimics saliva.” and it was poured into a straight-sided vial and then the team brushed the vial for two minutes with each brush and did this 168 times. Then, the brushes are tested for traces of triclosan, as well as the mixtures. Most of the toothbrushes had triclosan on them and the amount could depend on the kind of brush. Then, they took the brushes and went through the process with triclosan-free toothpaste and there still was triclosan. Only if a triclosan-free toothpaste is used with a new toothbrush will exposure to it disappear, and it’s recommended to use the brush with only bristles for lower exposure. I picked this article because dental health is important. Many people don’t want to risk their health in many forms and dental health is included. It was said that triclosan can have health risks. People can apply this to their everyday lives because people should brush twice a day and to help make sure you avoid health problems due to a chemical, you can follow the recommended tips. These chemists used science to explore the absorbing of this potentially dangerous chemical. It’s an interesting article that can be beneficial if someone wanted to watch their health.