Better check the labels of your body and dishsoaps, especially the ones you bought specifically because they were labeled "natural" or "organic." A group that represents consumers and manufacturers of natural and organic products conducted an independent lab test of more than 100 such items from natural-food stores (including Whole Foods). They found trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane in 46 diffrent products.
Here's what they found (from washingtonpost.com):
Products that the OCA said had 1,4-dioxane include Jason Fragrance Free
Satin Soap, Citrus Magic 100 Percent Natural Dish Liquid, Alba
Botanical Passion Fruit Body Wash and Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value Shower Gel. Products that tested negative included Burt's Bees Body Wash, Dr. Bronner's and Sundog's Magic Orange Lavender Organic Lotion, Clorox Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner, and Dr. Hauschka Body Wash Fresh.
1,4-dioxane is a petroleum-based solvent, which has been found to cause cancer in animals. It's not an ingredient of these products, rather a byproduct of manufacturing, according to the story.
Companies who make these products have taken the report seriously and say they are looking into their manufacturing process to see how this potentially dangerous compound is getting into their soaps and cleaners.
