Abstract:
Triclosan is a phenyl ether with broad spectrum antimicrobial action which is employed in a
great number of everyday household and personal care products including plastics, fabrics,
soaps, deodorants, toothpaste, and cosmetics. There is serious concern, however, regarding
this widespread use in terms of the potential environmental impacts of triclosan. Triclosan may
enter the aquatic environment via numerous pathways including discharge of effluents from
industries and wastewater treatment plants. To date, however, a comprehensive review of the
determination of triclosan in aquatic environments has been not reported. Herein, we review the
environmental concentration of triclosan in aquatic systems globally, as well as its stability and
toxicity. The wide variety of monitoring methods utilized for the determination of triclosan are
discussed, including those based on chromatography-mass spectrometry, electrochemistry,
capillary zone electrophoresis and spectrophotometry over the last 10 years.
