Some major brands of shampoo, shower gel and dish soap marketed as ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ contain small amounts of a potentially dangerous chemical, according to a report released yesterday by the Organic Consumers Association. The OCA, which represents consumers and manufacturers in the natural and organic foods industry, said an independent lab’s tests of more than 100 personal-care products sold in natural-food stores found trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane in 46 products. The petroleum-based solvent, which causes cancer in animals, is not added to the items but appears as a byproduct of manufacturing. Some of the products tested had the U.S. Department of Agriculture organic seal, and none of those contained 1,4-dioxane. The report is the latest salvo in a five-year battle over marketing claims that has divided the booming natural-products industry. The group said the presence of 1,4-dioxane poses a health risk and undermines natural and organic claims by some manufacturers. But government regulators disagree on whether trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane in personal-care and household products are dangerous. The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates personal-care products, said the amounts typically found in cosmetics ‘do not present a hazard to consumers.’ The Consumer Product Safety […]