Toxic Awareness Ingredient: Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol

Posted by the Toxic Awareness Organic & Toxin-Free Products

 

 As a Mom, I'm always looking at the things I introduce to my children and the effect they will have on their long-term health.  These 2 ingredients are absolutely ones to AVOID whenever possible.  Propylene Glycol is an additive that makes things viscous and is added in lieu of more expensive, less toxic ingredients. It's a cheap substitute to responsible manufacturing.  You can light Butylene Glycol on fire and it comes out of aerosol cans.  It's a known human carcinogen and hides in popular products like sunscreen, air freshners like Airwick and Lysol (both also registered pesticides), and oven cleaners.  Look around your house and read labels!  Cancer and auto-immune diseases are on the rise, and most of the cancers are linked to environmental toxins in our homes.  

 

Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol: Petroleum plastics which act as surfactants (wetting agents and solvents).  They easily penetrate the skin and can weaken protein and cellular structure. The EPA considers PG so toxic that it requires workers to wear protective gloves, clothing and goggles and to dispose of any PG solutions by burying in the ground.  Because PG penetrates the skin so quickly, the EPA warns against skin contact to prevent consequences such as brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities.  But there isn’t even a warning label on products such as stick deodorants, where the concentration is greater than in most industrial applications.

~Bridget