Propylene Glycol?!
What’s a day without learning about another toxic additive to our lives? This time it’s a chemical substance called Propylene Glycol. This little baby is found in moisturizers, as the killing and preserving agent in pitfall traps (usually used to capture beetles), as a food additive (AKA E1520) and…are you ready for this? To De-ice airplanes! Because of its low chronic oral toxicity, propylene glycol is generally recognized as safe for use as a direct food additive. The US Food and Drug Administration includes it on its list of ingredients that are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and the World Health Organization recognizes it as safe for human use. I would beg to differ. Putting the same chemical used to de-ice planes on my skin, doesn’t strike me as the safest thing to do. So much is deemed safe for human consumption because it won’t immediately strike you dead, however does anyone really know the cumulative effects of this and other chemicals on the body?
Where is it found?
Generally speaking, the following products can contain propylene glycol:
- makeup
- shampoo
- deodorant
- detangler
- styling mousse
- cleansing cream
- mascara
- soap
- skin cream
- bubble bath
- baby powder
- conditioner
- toner
- after shave
- baby wipes
Also in:
- Tyre sealant
- Rubber cleaner
- De-icer
- Stain removers
- Fabric softener
- Degreaser
- Paint
- Adhesive
- Wallpaper stripper
I know I have specifically come across it in sour cream, cream cheese, and salad dressing. Tom’s of Main, a company that produces ‘natural’ products, even uses it to help form the base of its deodorants!
What’s it’s purpose?
In the skin and hair, propylene glycol works as a humectant, which causes retention of moisture content of skin or cosmetic products by preventing the escape of moisture or water (source). It also maintains the desired texture in dairy products, canned frosting, and other factory-made foods. It thickens acidic foods (soda pop, salad dressing) and it can also stabilize the foam in beer. (Center for Science)
This is yet another example of consumer beware. We must closely inspect the ingredients of products we put in or on our body. I challenge you to read labels a little closer. You will be shocked at where this chemical turns up. If you do happen to come across it, please share it here with the rest of us.
2 Comments
Although you cite all the common uses of propylene glycol and affirm its low toxicity you still imply that it must be a bad substance because it is used in other applications like deicing airplanes. You are leading your readers to a wrong conclusion because you yourself don’t understand how deicers work. They simply lower the freezing point of water so ice doesn’t form. Ordinary table salt does exactly the same thing.
Even more interesting, table salt (sodium chloride) is over 7 times more toxic than propylene glycol. From the MSDS sheets for sodium chloride (ordinary table salt) and propylene glycol: Toxicity of salt solution, LD50 (oral), rat is 3000 mg/kg. Toxicity of propylene glycol, LD50 (oral) rat is 20,000mg/kg.
You have either selectively chosen your facts or you haven done a complete job of your research work. We all want truth in advertising from business. How about we all speak truth in return?
Comment by Marlene on January 31, 2009 at 4:47 pmHi Marlene,
Firstly, thank you for stopping by. I am always appreciative of those who can engage in a little healthy debate. I do however stand by my research. Propylene Glycol, any way you look at it, is a chemical. The way in which it works to de ice airplanes is inconsequential. Simply put, as far as I’m concerned, it is a synthetic chemical found in plane de-icer, fabric softener, tire sealant etc…therefore, it does not belong in foods for my consumption.
For the record I don’t consume table salt either.
Comment by lea on January 31, 2009 at 9:24 pm