On Saturday, the Government of Canada announced that it was declaring a chemical called 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol to be toxic to the environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol?? What the heck is that? You may know it by its more common name, Triclosan. But chances are, unless you’re in the science field, you’ve probably never heard of triclosan. And yet, I would be willing to wager that I could find triclosan in at least 5 household products in 9-of-10 average North American homes.

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