From the United States Protection Agency
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final supplement to the risk evaluation and final risk determination for the solvent 1,4-dioxane under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA has determined that this chemical poses an unreasonable risk of injury to human health. 1,4-Dioxane has the potential to cause cancer and harm the liver and nasal tissue.
Although 1,4-dioxane was one of the first ten chemicals to be reviewed under amended TSCA, EPA’s 2020 risk evaluation did not evaluate general population exposures to 1,4-dioxane in drinking water or air, did not evaluate all the ways people could be exposed to 1,4-dioxane as a byproduct, did not evaluate the potential for simultaneous exposure to more than one source of 1,4-dioxane (aggregate risk) and did not evaluate potential exposures to fenceline communities.
These omissions led several Scientific Advisory Committee on Chemicals members to say that EPA’s “failure to assess 1,4-dioxane exposure in the general population may leave substantial portions of the population at risk. This is particularly concerning for drinking water.” The final supplement to the 1,4-dioxane risk evaluation addresses these concerns and provides the public with a more complete understanding of the risks presented by 1,4-dioxane.
1,4-Dioxane is a solvent used in a variety of commercial applications, such as in a laboratory, or in dish soap or laundry detergent used by cleaning services or laundromats, and industrial applications, such as the manufacture or processing of other chemicals (e.g., adhesives, sealants). It is also generated as a byproduct in several manufacturing processes, resulting in its presence as a contaminant in commercial and consumer products like dish soaps and laundry detergents which contribute to its presence in surface water when these products are washed down the drain.
People may be exposed to 1,4-dioxane at work or through consumer products. If industrial or commercial facilities release 1,4-dioxane into the air, people may breathe it in. Additionally, people may be exposed to 1,4-dioxane in water. Water can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane through industrial or commercial sources, or when consumer and commercial products that contain 1,4-dioxane are washed down the drain or disposed of in landfills.
EPA found that 1,4-dioxane presents unreasonable risk to workers and the general population, including fenceline communities. Ingesting or breathing 1,4-dioxane can cause cancer, liver toxicity, and adverse effects to nasal tissue.
Learn more about risk management for 1,4-dioxane.
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