Antibacterial agent can weaken muscle

A germ-fighting chemical added to many soaps, toothpastes and fabrics can interfere with how muscles contract, new research shows.

Doses of the chemical, called triclosan, needed to diminish muscle strength and blood flow in mice roughly matched those already measured in people in some parts of the United States, neurotoxicologist Isaac Pessah at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and his colleagues report online August 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.