Health Robbers Report
Ethylene glycol
Propylene glycol, or glycol ether is an organic alcohol made from the fermentation of yeast and carbohydrates and has many different variants. They are used in numerous products such as cleaning chemicals, laundry detergents, degreasing agents, paints, antifreeze, and inks.When these solvents enter your skin or lungs, they can be hazardous to your health, and are found to cause many severe side effects. For example, ethylene glycol monoethyl is linked to a lower sperm count in men. Animal studies also found that it can lead to reproductive abnormalities and low birth weight. Overexposure to glycol ethers can cause anemia, intoxication, and irritation of the eyes and nose as well as cause damage to the kidney and liver. The most commonly used glycol ether, 2-butoxyethanol, has been shown to cause live cancer in animals.
Propylene glycol enters the body as an alcohol and metabolizes in the body’s enzyme pathways. These pathways do not mature in humans until 12 to 30 months of age. Infants and children below the age of 4 years, pregnant women and those with kidney dysfunction or in renal failure are not able to eliminate propylene glycol in the body. According to the FDA, this inability to process and eliminate this product causes potential adverse reactions in infants and pregnant women as well as those with kidney problems.
It is important to note that propylene glycol is not only found in commercial cleaners, but some ‘green’ cleaning and cosmetic products will still use a certain amount.
