Suspect suds: Wash with an antibacterial soap, and you're soaping with pesticides.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Clean hands shouldn't come at the cost of tainted water and hard-to-kill supergerms. And there's an opportunity now to keep unsafe chemcials out of soap and other personal-care products.

Consumers spend a whopping billion bucks annually on antibacterial soaps, household cleaners, and even personal-care products and clothing that contain the antibacterial chemical triclosan. But the thing is, it doesn't really work. In the last few years, scientists have found that triclosan doesn't actually annihilate more germs, but rather lathers up an unsafe situation for your family and the water supply.

And the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seems to be listening—but not for long. The public comment period to post your concerns about triclosan—an actual registered pesticide—ends April 8. Public health watchdog groups hope this will lead to an all-out ban of triclosan in consumer products. The chemical is used not just in soap, but also in thousands of consumer products, ranging from certain mascaras, toothpaste, and sandals to washing machines, children's toys, and pet water bowls. Seeing as it's all over the place, it's easy to understand why it's also in almost all of us—about 75 percent of the U.S. population pees triclosan.

THE DETAILS: Scientists are publishing more and more studies that raise major red flags regarding the widespread use of this chemical in everyday products. Once something that was reserved for hospital settings, triclosan is now in things like deodorant, filters, plastics, pencils, rulers, and even the diaper-changing stations in public bathrooms. The use of triclosan in everyday products has skyrocketed from a few dozen in the mid-'90s to thousands today.

Emerging research shows us it's time to reverse the trend. Triclosan has been linked to:

•  Allergies. University of Michigan research found children with higher concentrations of triclosan in their urine were more likely to suffer from allergies.

•  Hormone disruption. This can cause early onset puberty, fertility problems, neurodevelopmental problems, obesity, and cancer.

•  Fetal damage. University of Florida scientists in 2010 found that triclosan messes with an enzyme the regulates the transfer of estrogen to the fetus. Miscarriage can occur if estrogen is unable to cross the placenta barrier.

Beyond that, researchers have also found that triclosan is taken up in food grown in fields treated with sewage sludge (a practice that's banned in organic agriculture).