A woman in Missouri is the latest consumer to file a lawsuit alleging claims about <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/Dial-Complete-Antibacterial-Hand-Wash-Soap-Class-Action-Lawsuit">Dial Complete Antibacterial Hand Wash are false and misleading. The Dial Complete lawsuit seeks class action status.
Like others filed earlier, this new Dial Complete lawsuit states that a nationwide marketing campaign claimed that the hand wash” kills 99.99 percent of germs” and was “the No. 1 doctor-recommended” brand. Dial Corporation’s marketing campaign also touted the supposed benefits of its active ingredient, triclosan.
This new lawsuit asserts that there has never been a “reliable” study that has shown triclosan to be any better than normal hand washing. The claims regarding the hand wash are, instead, based on one study that was paid for by Dial.
The lawsuit also points out that triclosan is part of a class of chemicals with suspected cancer links, and has been restricted in Europe. None of this is mentioned in any marketing for Dial Complete, the complaint says. In fact, Dial’s parent company is based in Germany, which recently began prohibiting the use of triclosan in products intended to “come into contact with food.”
As we’ve reported previously, triclosan was originally developed as a surgical scrub, but is now widely used in consumer products such as soap and body washes, toothpaste, clothing, kitchenware, furniture and toys. Though companies that market triclosan products claim they are safe, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has registered it as a pesticide and has rated it high for human health risk and environmental risk.
In 2005, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that antimicrobial soaps and sanitizers do not reduce the risk of illness and infection in the home. In April 2010, the agency issued a “Consumer Update” stating it did not have evidence that triclosan-containing antibacterial soaps and body washes provide any extra health benefit over soap and water alone.
Since September 2010, a handful of consumer class action lawsuits have been filed against Dial Corporation over its Dial Complete claims. Like the Missouri complaint, these lawsuits cite the growing body of evidence that refutes the company’s triclosan representations. Yet Dial Corporation has continued to aggressively advertise Dial Complete as having substantial health benefits and being more effective in its use than ordinary soap and water.
