Is Your Laundry Detergent Illegal? It May Be In New York

People have found over the years that laundry detergent can be deadly, if ingested. It's not really a surprise. It seems more of a shock that some are ignorant enough to eat laundry products in the first place, but we live in a strange world. Even if we are not ingesting the products, most of us don't want to be washing our clothes with a possible cancer causing ingredient, either. That's why New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation put a cap on a chemical compound found in some popular laundry detergents. Is yours one of them?

According to Scott R. Axelrod of syracuse.com, on January 1st, New York State put a limit on the potentially cancer-causing concentration of the compound called 1,4-Dioxane in laundry detergent. The article stated that 1,4-Dioxane is a bi-product created during the manufacturing of cleaners and chemicals. According to syracuse.com, laundry detergents tend to have the highest concentrations of 1,4-Dioxane due to the way that they’re manufactured.

The new law cuts the maximum allowable concentration of the compound in half. DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a New York State press release, that the "DEC prioritizes the health and well-being of New Yorkers and our environment, and the implementation of new laws for chemicals in everyday household products is part of our state’s ongoing commitment to protect communities.” Is your detergent one of the outlaw brands?

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Well, "Tide Original", "Arm & Hammer, Clean Burst", "Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear" and "Gain Original + Aroma Boost" were some of the popular brands listed with now-illegal concentrations of 1,4-Dioxane. The new law allows laundry detergent manufacturers to apply for a one-year waiver.