New York bill banning 1,4-dioxane would prohibit many cleaning products, industry warns

Two trade groups representing the cleaning product industry are urging the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo (D), not to sign a bill (S4389B) that would ban 1,4-dioxane in cleaning and personal care products sold in the state. High levels of 1,4-dioxane have been found in the groundwater in Long Island, New York, from former industrial and military facilities in the area. The legislation would limit 1,4-dioxane in household cleaning products to a level of 1 ppm by the end of 2023, in an effort to protect water quality. The chemical is an impurity in ethoxylated compounds in some household detergents. “Unfortunately, this bill will have no measurable impact on groundwater and it will not have the intended effect for Long Island’s residents,” the coalition of cleaning products trade groups says in a statement. The CEOs of those groups argue that the bill would lead to the removal of many household cleaning products from store shelves in New York and “prices for laundry and dish detergent could dramatically increase.”