Novel Method Developed for Detecting 1,4-Dioxane in Consumer Products 

A new study co-authored by the American Cleaning Institute is showcasing a new method to evaluate exceedingly low levels of 1,4-dioxane precisely and accurately in finished cleaning products. The research, “A novel protocol for quantitative determination of 1,4-dioxane in finished cleaning products,” is now available in the Journal of Surfactants and Detergents.  

1,4-dioxane is a byproduct that forms during the preparation of ethoxylated surfactants which are used in a variety of commercial products. Concerns about 1,4-dioxane are leading to increased regulations limiting the concentrations of the contaminant to very low levels in products.  

The new ACI co-authored research assesses a novel method to quantify 1,4-dioxane in finished cleaning products using a process known as a headspace gas chromatograph with mass spectrometry. The method is shown to have excellent accuracy and precision in assessing levels of 1,4-dioxane in different cleaning products.  

The method’s robustness was demonstrated with a ten-laboratory round-robin exercise that showed excellent analytical results from different testing labs. This new method will be valuable to evaluate consumer products impacted by government regulation to limit 1,4-dioxane concentrations in complex matrices. 

“The methodology can be trusted to produce effective quantitation of 1,4-dioxane in cleaning products at very low concentrations and even performs well when some modifications to the method were employed,” says Kathleen Stanton, ACI associate vice president, Technical & International Affairs, a co-author on the research. 

“It is very important that regulations governing levels of 1,4-dioxane in cleaning products utilize accurate, repeatable methodologies to ensure responsible reporting of and compliance with those regulations.”