For years I have counseled the early education and child care industry against the use of antibacterial liquid hand soaps because of the active ingredient “triclosan”. The FDA said long-term daily use of triclosan may have hormonal effects, kills good bacteria and leads to bacterial resistance germs. The FDA is requiring the manufacturers to demonstrate that their antibacterial hand soaps are more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of infections. Click here for the details on this 2013 rule. This is a reminder because there are still an unfortunate number of programs using antibacterial soaps.

Last Friday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a final rule amending HUD’s lead-based paint regulations from 20 micro-grams of lead per deciliter of blood (µg/dL) to 5 in order to reduce blood lead levels in children under 6 years residing in federally-owned or assisted housing. The new rule is in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) blood lead threshold.

“This important change to HUD’s Lead Safe Housing Rule will allow for a faster response when a young child (specifically, under six years old) is exposed to lead-based paint hazards in their HUD-assisted homes, a key component of a primary prevention strategy”. Read the full announcement here!