Schumer Asks FDA to mandate removal of contaminant 1,4-dioxane

On Thursday, April 13, 2017, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on the FDA at a news conference to require the removal of a probable carcinogen called 1,4-dioxane from all cleaning products such as shampoos, shower gels and lotions. The EPA has said that short-term exposure can cause irritation and long-term exposure can cause kidney and liver damage, but Schumer says the process to remove it, called vacuum stripping, doesn't cost much. (Credit: Ed Betz)

Sen. Chuck Schumer on Thursday called for a U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirement that manufacturers remove the probable carcinogen 1,4-dioxane from such consumer products as shampoos and lotions.

Schumer (D-N.Y.) plans to file a legislative petition with the FDA, his office said.

“It’s time to drain 1,4-dioxane from everyday products,” Schumer said Thursday. “When it’s used in your bathtub, it can seep into the aquifer.”

Citizens Campaign for the Environment executive director Adrienne Esposito said there were two ways the chemical was getting into the water supply — from legacy manufacturing contamination and consumer cleaning products. 

“This is exactly what needs to happen,” she said about the petition, which is also signed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

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