Triclocarban (TCC)

Triclocarban is an antibacterial agent now common in personal care products. Despite the efficacy of fighting certain strands of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, triclocarban and its close relative triclosan pose threats to environmental and organism health, namely in terms of persistence and toxicity through waste water released to ecosystems, its potential for bioaccumulation, and bacterial resistance to the agent. Other laboratory experiments and studies on human and organism health are growing to indicate triclocarban as a potential endocrine disruptor. In light of currently little scientific data on triclocarban and triclosan, policies regarding the production and use of the agents are largely stagnant. Triclocarban is a white powder that is insoluble in water. While triclocarban has two chlorinated phenol rings, it is structurally similar to carbanilide compounds often found in pesticides and some drugs.