Environment

Toxicology

Safety

Dioxane has an LD50 of 5170 mg/kg in rats.[10] It is irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract. Exposure may cause damage to the central nervous system, liver and kidneys.[20] In a 1978 mortality study conducted on workers exposed to 1,4-dioxane, the observed number of deaths from cancer was not significantly different from the expected number.[21] Dioxane is classified by the National Toxicology Program as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen".[22] It is also classified by the IARC as a Group 2B carcinogen: possibly carcinogenic to humans because it is a known carcinogen in other animals.[23] The United States Environmental Protection Agency classifies dioxane as a probable human carcinogen (having observed an increased incidence of cancer in controlled animal studies, but not in epidemiological studies of workers using the compound), and a known irritant (with a no-observed-adverse-effects level of 400 milligrams per cubic meter) at concentrations significantly higher than those found in commercial products.[24] Studies with rats suggest that the greatest health risk may be associated with inhalation.[25][26][27] The State of New York has adopted a first-in-the-nation drinking water standard for 1,4-Dioxane and set the maximum contaminant level of 1 part per billion.[28]

Yeah, that's some nasty shit. It degrades into flammable peroxides.