[1]The The Power of We is a force to be reckoned with. Almost 80,000 of us have come together [2] demanding that Procter & Gamble remove a cancer-causing chemical from their Tide Free & Gentle laundry detergent.
Today thousands of writers from around the globe have come together for Blog Action Day [3] to talk about one topic – The Power of We. The Power of We is a celebration of people working together to make a positive difference in the world, in their own communities or helping people they have never met.
The Power of We and Cancer-Causing Chemicals in Tide Laundry Detergent
For those of you who have been following Groovy Green Livin for a while you’ll remember that Women’s Voices for the Earth released a report , Dirty Secrets: What’s Hiding in Your Cleaning Products? [4], which revealed high levels of the cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane hiding out in Tide® and Tide Free & Gentle® . This toxic chemical, 1,4-dioxane doesn’t appear on the product label or on the product website, so consumers have no way of knowing it’s even there.
I started a petition demanding [2] that Procter & Gamble (makers of Tide) strip this harmful cancer-causing chemical out of Tide Free & Gentle®. As it turns out I’m not the only one who wants these cancer-causing chemicals out of their Tide laundry detergent. But Procter & Gamble has ignored all of us-almost 80,000 consumers [5] and dozens of health organizations [6] who have contacted the company demanding the removal of this cancer-causing chemical.
The crazy piece is that Procter & Gamble reformulated its Herbal Essences® shampoo in 2010 to strip out 1,4-dioxane. We know that it can be done. So why hasn’t it happened?
Procter & Gamble is taking the position that levels of 1,4-dioxane are safe in its detergents. Say what??? There is no safe level of a known cancer-causing chemical.
Johnson & Johnson, another massive consumer products company, announced in July that is stripping 1,4-dioxane from all of its products worldwide [7]. There’s no reason that Procter & Gamble can’t do the same.
This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month [8] and 1,4-dioxane has been linked to breast cancer. NOW is the perfect time for Procter & Gamble to make a positive change and take the toxic chemicals out of their products.
The Power of We: How you can help
Together we can make a difference. It’s time to join forces again to let Procter & Gamble know that this issue hasn’t gone away and it won’t until they make a change. The time is NOW to remove a cancer-causing chemical from Tide® and Tide Free & Gentle®.
- If you haven’t already, please sign my petition asking Procter & Gamble to remove a cancer-causing chemical from their laundry detergents. Sign HERE [9].
- Please share the graphic of Tide’s toxic laundry detergent on Facebook [10] and Twitter [11]. You can share the image directly from Women’s Voices for the Earth’s Facebook page [12].
- If you’re looking for ways to green your laundry routine Healthy Child Healthy World has some great non-toxic laundry tips.
The Power of We works thanks to all of you. I can’t stop writing about it! Check out my post over at Moms Clean Air Force [13].
Have you asked Procter & Gamble to take the cancer- causing chemicals out of their laundry detergents?