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Governments and regulatory agencies around the world should be wary of the long-term effects of two antibacterial chemicals commonly added to everything from soaps to toys. That’s according to over 200 researchers, scientists and medical professionals around the world, who have signed a statement published today calling for their regulation.

Dubbed the Florence Statement on Triclosan and Triclocarban, it focuses on these two antibacterial compounds, which have been used since the 1960s and can be found in a large number of products such as detergents and toothpastes. However, research is increasingly finding that both of these chemicals, and those they can break down into, persist in the environment for a long time, enabling them to spread to soil, waterways, wild animals and even breast milk.

Because there is some evidence – largely from animal studies – that these chemicals can disrupt hormone systems, with possible effects on physiological development, sexual maturation and fertility, the US Food and Drug Administration the compounds from a number of hand and body washes in 2016. There is a partial ban on triclosan in the European Union.

But the signatories of the Florence Statement would like regulatory agencies around the world to take similar action. “These chemicals don’t really obey borders,” says , an author of the statement and the director of the Biodesign Center for Environmental Security at Arizona State University. “They are not a local problem, they’re an environmental issue that essentially reaches around the globe.”

Unclear effects

Researchers argue that even the FDA’s ban for some products isn’t enough, when the compounds are also added to things like school supplies and carpets. “If you’re concerned about antimicrobials entering your body, then getting rid of antimicrobial personal care products is the best way of limiting exposure,” says Halden. “But limiting exposure to zero is almost impossible right now.”

However, it is far from clear whether these antimicrobials pose the same kinds of threat to our health as they do to lab animals in experimental studies. “The problem with triclosan is that there is still limited evidence on its potential damage in humans,” says , a research fellow in the department of environmental health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public ��ҹ����1000����, who wasn’t a signatory of the statement.

, which is still allowed to use triclosan in its toothpaste, maintains that the chemical is safe for human use. Other companies like have also stood by the chemical’s safety but are working to remove it from their products in line with the new FDA regulation.

Read more: What are antibacterial agents and should we avoid using them?