The Environmental Protection Agency has rejected a petition requesting increased testing and a change to the safety status of key chemistry used to make concentrated detergent unit-dose packets and sheets from its Safer Choice program.
At issue was a call from a cleaning products manufacturer and non-governmental organizations for the EPA to require more human and environmental health testing under the Toxic Substances Control Act for the polyvinyl alcohol – known as PVA or PVOH – used in laundry and dishwasher detergent packets and sheets. The petitioner also requested that regulators remove the “green” designation PVA currently has from the agency’s Safer Chemical List, which denotes its safe use in detergent products.
“We commend the EPA for sticking to the science on the use of polyvinyl alcohol film in laundry packets and automatic dishwasher detergent tablets and rejecting the petitioners’ requests,” said Kathleen Stanton, associate vice president of technical and international affairs for the American Cleaning Institute.
“In denying the petition, the EPA’s published response in the Federal Register provides a cogent analysis of the scientific facts that are readily available,” Stanton continued. “It is highly critical of underlying research and arguments put forth by the petitioners and cites a significant number of easily findable studies demonstrating the safety and biodegradability of PVA that the petitioners overlooked or ignored. The EPA’s extensive response should be sufficient to settle this quite conclusively in favor of PVA’s safe and sustainable use.”
PVOH is a key enabler of more sustainable cleaning products. Detergent packets contain highly concentrated cleaning formulas encased in a water-soluble film, which is made of PVA/PVOH. These films are designed to dissolve completely in washing and dishwashing machines and then flow down the drain with the wash water.
The PVOH used in detergent products is accepted by the U.S. EPA Safer Choice program and other eco-labeling organizations around the world.
For more information on the use of PVOH film in detergent products, visit https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/pvoh.
