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According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, EPA received a petition on January 6, 2026, under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) regarding certain chemicals in consumer laundry detergents. The petition requests that EPA initiate a TSCA Section 6(a) rulemaking regarding the following chemical substances that are “widely used in consumer liquid laundry detergents”:
- Sodium C10-16 alkylbenzenesulfonate;
- Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES); and
- 1,4-Dioxane (present as a manufacturing impurity).
According to the petition, the chemical substances “present an unreasonable risk under their specific ‘conditions of use' (i.e., residue remaining on clothing).” The petition notes that EPA's 2020 risk evaluation for 1,4-dioxane identified unreasonable risks to health and that 1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of the ethoxylation process used to create SLES in detergents. The petition states that “[c]urrent regulations allow its hidden presence, exposing the public to chronic carcinogenic risks via dermal contact.” The petition also cites recent consumer reports indicating that “High Efficiency” washing machines “often fail to rinse these chemicals from fabrics, creating a continuous dermal exposure pathway that is not addressed by current labeling.” The petition requests that EPA issue a rule under TSCA Section 6(a) determining that the ongoing use of these chemical substances in consumer laundry detergents presents an unreasonable risk of injury to human health. The petition also seeks mandatory warning labels stating that “Concentrated residues of this product are known skin irritants” and mandatory disclosure on the product label when 1,4-dioxane is detectable above 0.1 parts per million (ppm) “due to its classification as a probable human carcinogen.” Under TSCA Section 21, EPA has 90 days from the date of receipt to grant or deny the petition.
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