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Triclosan: A Safe and Effective Antimicrobial?
In 1972, antimicrobial soaps were introduced in health-care settings for surgical hand scrubs. With growing public awareness of foodborne disease outbreaks and well-publicized food recalls, the marketplace was receptive to products that would kill pathogenic microbes. In the late 1980s, Dial introduced the first antimicrobial liquid soap for use by the general public. By the mid-1990s, not only were antimicrobials added to many liquid and bar soaps, but their use extended to many personal care and household items.