A look at the three controversial ingredients on the Loblaw hit list

Loblaws pledged today to stop manufacturing by 2018 household and cosmetic products that contain three controversial ingredients, following companies that include Unilever and Johnson and Johnson. Some details on the three ingredients:

Triclosan: Currently under review by Health Canada, it’s found in antibacterial soaps and body washes, toothpaste and some cosmetic products and is thought to contribute to antibiotic resistance. It’s also toxic to aquatic bacteria and various types of algae and can affect the structure of algal communities.

Phthalates: They’re chemicals used to add fragrance to products that include body lotions and nail polishes, and to make plastics more flexible. There are concerns that they interfere with the body’s endocrine system. There have also been studies suggesting prenatal phthalate exposure could be associated with less male-typical play behaviour in boys.

Microbeads: Tiny pebbles of plastic commonly used in facial and body scrubs, they’re so minuscule that water-treatment systems fail to capture them, so they end up in lakes and rivers — and in the gullets of fish.