Question from Kristen Conn
Hi Debra,
I’m wondering about the ingredient Polyvinyl Alcohol Film that is in many dishwasher detergent tabs. (Grab Green, Nellies, If You Care) Labels say it is completely biodegradable but the word “Polyvinyl” leaves me wondering if its going to leave something behind!
Debra’s Answer
Good question.
The thing that’s difficult about plastics is they are named in a way that can be confusing.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is very toxic, but polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is not. It is generally considered nontoxic and I see no information that would make me question that.
Kristen, I was recently looking for dishwasher detergent also. I just wanted to mention that the EWG cleaners database has all of these ingredients, and you search for a given ingredient, or for particular products or categories (either a certain brand, or a category like “dishwasher detergent”). It’s fairly helpful.