Your favorite laundry detergent could be harder to find on New York store shelves thanks to a law that went into effect, making several popular laundry detergents illegal to sell in New York.

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Many popular cleaning, personal care, and cosmetic products contain potentially cancer-causing chemicals and the New York State Department of Conservation established a legal limit on the amount of these chemicals that can be found in such products.

During the manufacturing of cleaners and chemicals, a compound called 1,4-Dioxane is created, and laundry detergents, on average, have the highest concentration of this compound.

The law, which went into effect on January 1, 2023, lowers the maximum allowable concentration of 2 parts per million of 1,4-Dioxane for household cleaning and personal care products, down to 1 part per million.

The tricky part is that 1,4-Dioxane doesn’t appear on product ingredient lists, it can only be found out by testing in a laboratory. The website Ingredients Matter sent several different types of laundry detergent to an independent lab to be tested for 1, 4- Dioxane. The lab tests discovered that several of the most popular brands of laundry detergent contained illegal concentrations of 1,4- Dioxane.

In a press release, DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said,

“DEC prioritizes the health and well-being of New Yorkers and our environment, and the implementation of new laws for chemicals in everyday household products is part of our state’s ongoing commitment to protect communities.”

So long as manufacturers are working to lower the levels of 1,4-Dioxane in their products and show proof of doing so, they can apply for a one-year waiver from compliance.

These Are the Smallest Counties in New York State. And We Mean SMALL!!

There are 62 counties in the state of New York. The largest (by population) is Kings County (Brooklyn). It has a population of 2,726,002 people. But, there are far more smaller counties in the state than larger ones. This list takes a look at the smallest counties in New York, with all of them in some region of Upstate New York. Even though they are sparsely populated, each has a few places that any NYS road warrior might want to stop at and explore. So here are the 19 smallest counties (by most recent population data) in the state and what you might find on a visit to each of them. Two interesting pieces of trivia you will find in this list. The largest of the 19 counties on this list could take every single resident in the whole county out to Highmark Stadium out to the Buffalo area to watch a Buffalo Bills football game, and still have room for 10,000 more guests in the stadium. And (this one will blow your mind) the very smallest county in New York State literally has no stop lights in the entire county!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

Amazing! These 35 Upstate New York Businesses Have Been Around for 100 Years....and a Whole Lot More!

This is a remarkable list! These Upstate New York businesses have all been open for business for over 100, 150, 200 years and even longer! Incredible staying power here!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

21 Famous Upstate NY Homes You've Probably Never Heard Of

Here is an eclectic collection of 21 homes that have wonderful back stories to them. Several are grand mansions, several are museums, one is basically a cabin, and one is attached to a lighthouse. The homes have fantastic DNA to them. You may be surprised that a couple of these homes have very significant connections to famous authors. One is the home of a medical family who practiced there for 80 years (same family!). Take a look at these "unknown homes of Upstate New York." And the best thing is that...they are all open to the public for tours! I wrote a book about the famous homes of Upstate New York titled "Open House" (Syracuse University Press) and these are some of the best ones from that book!

Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio

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