Uploaded September 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) describes 1,4-dioxane (C₄H₈O₂) as a colorless liquid or solid at cool temperatures below 53°F. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) reports it easily dissolves in water and is used primarily as a solvent in the manufacture of chemicals and as a laboratory reagent.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that 1,4-dioxane has been found in groundwater at sites throughout the United States. The agency goes to share that it is highly mobile and does not readily biodegrade in the environment.
1,4-Dioxane is used in a number of industries. NIOSH lists some examples of workers at potential risk of being exposed to 1,4-dioxane, including:
• Employees working in scientific laboratories
• Workers exposed to certain types of industrial solvents
• Factory workers involved in producing some cosmetics
• Workers in paper pulping industries
Workers may be harmed from exposure to 1,4-dioxane with the level of exposure depending upon the dose, duration and work being done. Exposure can occur by breathing contaminated air, skin contact, or by drinking water or consuming foods that contain it.
NIOSH states that exposure can harm the eyes, skin, lungs, liver and kidneys, and that 1,4-dioxane may cause cancer. ATSDR reports exposure to high levels of 1,4-dioxane in the air can also result in nasal cavity damage.
To help protect workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) and NIOSH has a Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for 1,4-dioxane. California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added 1,4-dioxane to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of Proposition 65 back in 1988.
These are just a few of the many things to know about 1,4-dioxane and potential occupational exposure risks. To learn more about this or other industrial hygiene, environmental, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
CTSI ctsiweb.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) describes 1,4-dioxane (C₄H₈O₂) as a colorless liquid or solid at cool temperatures below 53°F. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) reports it easily dissolves in water and is used primarily as a solvent in the manufacture of chemicals and as a laboratory reagent.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that 1,4-dioxane has been found in groundwater at sites throughout the United States. The agency goes to share that it is highly mobile and does not readily biodegrade in the environment.
1,4-Dioxane is used in a number of industries. NIOSH lists some examples of workers at potential risk of being exposed to 1,4-dioxane, including:
• Employees working in scientific laboratories
• Workers exposed to certain types of industrial solvents
• Factory workers involved in producing some cosmetics
• Workers in paper pulping industries
Workers may be harmed from exposure to 1,4-dioxane with the level of exposure depending upon the dose, duration and work being done. Exposure can occur by breathing contaminated air, skin contact, or by drinking water or consuming foods that contain it.
NIOSH states that exposure can harm the eyes, skin, lungs, liver and kidneys, and that 1,4-dioxane may cause cancer. ATSDR reports exposure to high levels of 1,4-dioxane in the air can also result in nasal cavity damage.
To help protect workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) and NIOSH has a Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for 1,4-dioxane. California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added 1,4-dioxane to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of Proposition 65 back in 1988.
These are just a few of the many things to know about 1,4-dioxane and potential occupational exposure risks. To learn more about this or other industrial hygiene, environmental, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
CTSI ctsiweb.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
