Our daughter never took to a pacifier, but she likes to suck on pinkies. It calms her down and often puts her right to sleep. If you happen to be at home when the call comes you can go wash your hands (with soap and water). But if you’re walking down the street or driving in the car and you can’t remember exactly where your hand has been since you washed it last, slipping her a possibly dirty finger can feel a little risky. My husband and I keep a bottle of Purell in the car for emergency pinkie washing, but something about the way it smells grosses me out so much that I usually just suck on my finger before giving it to the baby.

So it was with some relief that I read today about a study published on the Environmental Science & Technology research website revealing that one of the most common ingredients in hand sterilizers, triclosan, turns into a toxic chemical (and probable carcinogen) called chloroform when combined with the chlorine in tap water. Researchers found that people using these products are exposed to chloroform levels 40 percent higher than that found in tap water. We’ve all read about how antibacterial soaps can help breed antibiotic-resistant superbugs, but this study shows that not only are products with triclosan providing zero anti-bacterial benefits, they’re in fact producing potentially health-threatening toxic byproducts.

The study (from 2005) led to the removal of all products containing triclosan in the British chain store Marks & Spencer, as well as all the triclosan-containing toothpaste from stores in China. Of course, we’re going to chuck the “emergency” bottle from the car, before it causes an emergency of its own, and I hope you’ll do the same. For more information check out organicconsumers.org. 

On an unrelated note, can anyone recommend ways to soothe a teething baby still too young to hold a frozen teething ring or bagel in her mouth?

 
Thanks! -- Deirdre