Alchemy - 1,4 Dioxane
Posted by Estela Cockrell Nov 20th 2020
TRUTH | FOUND IN: Products that create suds (such as shampoo, liquid soap, bubble bath), hair relaxers, others
WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON THE LABEL: Sodium laureth sulfate, (cross contaminated) PEG compounds, chemicals that include the clauses xynol, ceteareth and oleth
WHAT IS 1,4 DIOXANE?
1,4-dioxane is generated through a process called ethoxylation, in which ethylene oxide, a known breast carcinogen, is added to other chemicals to make them less harsh.
HEALTH CONCERNS: Cancer
VULNERABLE POPULATIONS: Pregnant women, infants, teenagers
REGULATIONS: Banned/found unsafe for use in cosmetics in Canada
HOW TO AVOID: The FDA does not require 1,4-dioxane to be listed as an ingredient on product labels because the chemical is a contaminant produced during manufacturing. Without labeling, there is no way to know for certain whether a product contains 1,4,-dioxane, making it difficult for consumers to avoid it.
1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen linked to organ toxicity, may be found in as many as 22 percent of the more than 25,000 cosmetics products in the Skin Deep database [1], but you won’t find it on ingredient labels. That’s because 1,4-dioxane is a contaminant created when common ingredients react to form the compound when mixed together. See
1,4-Dioxane – is a heterocyclic organic compound, classified as an ether. It is a colorless liquid with a faint sweet odor similar to that of diethyl ether. Dioxane is classified by the National Toxicology Program as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen".[13] It is also classified by the IARC as a Group 2B carcinogen: possibly carcinogenic to humans because it is a known carcinogen in other animals.[14]The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies dioxane as a probable human carcinogen (having observed an increased incidence of cancer in controlled animal studies, but not in epidemiological studies of workers using the compound), and a known irritant (with a no-observed-adverse-effects level of 400 milligrams per cubic meter) at concentrations significantly higher than those found in commercial products.[15] Under Proposition 65, dioxane is classified in the U.S. State of California to cause cancer.
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