To: <Biofuel@sustainablelists.org> Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2005 10:01 AM Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Another use for glycerine
Nancy Canning wrote:Propylene glycol as it is used tons and tons of products includingindustrial cleaners, shampoo's, toothpaste, creams, etc. It is very toxic, the industry even has it in children's prescriptions. Wonder if this type of propylene glycol has less poison/carcinogenic toxicity qualities vrs what isout there right now? Anybody have any info?Nancy. You are mistakenly confusing ethylene glycol with propylene glycol. Both can be used as antifreeze or deicers, but they have very different metabolic fates in the body. Thus, ethylene glycol is toxic while propylene glycol is food safe.
What is Propylene Glycol?Propylene Glycol (PG, Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), Butylene Glycol (BG) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) are all petroleum derivatives that act as solvents, surfactants, and wetting agents. They can easily penetrate the skin, and can weaken protein and cellular structure. In fact, PG penetrates the skin so quickly that the EPA warns factory workers to avoid skin contact, to prevent brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities. PG is present in many stick deodorants, often in heavier concentration than in most industrial applications. (Nyack, Dr. Vin, Ph.D., Biochemist; personal communication). And Propylene Glycol is what is used to carry the "active" ingredients in those transdermal patches INTO YOUR BODY Imagine a bottle of Anti-Freeze in a picture with shampoos, deodorants, cosmetics, lotions and toothpastes? The question you should be asking is .. What's Anti-Freeze doing IN my shampoos, deodorants, cosmetics, lotions and toothpaste?
Yes, the main ingredient in anti-freeze is in all of these products. Shocked? You should be! You need to understand what it could do to your health. PROPYLENE GLYCOLis a colorless, viscous, hygroscopic liquid CH3CHOHCH2OH, used in anti-freeze solutions, in hydraulic fluids, and as a solvent. Also called "Propanediol"
American Heritage Encyclopedia Dictionary PROPYLENE GLYCOL is used in:Anti-Freeze * Brake and Hydraulic Fluid * De-Icer * Paints and Coatings * Floor Wax * Laundry Detergents * Pet Food * Tobacco * Cosmetics * Toothpastes * Shampoos * Deodorants * Lotions * Processed Foods and many more personal care items. Check out your body lotions, deodorant, hair conditioner, hair gel, creams, and many more products! Propylene Glycol serves as a Humectant - a substance that helps retain moisture content, or simply -it prevents things from drying out. That's why some pet foods are soft and chewy. This, of course, is a good reason it's in cosmetics and other personal care items. It makes the skin feel moist and soft. And, the products don't dry out. Propylene Glycol is also found in baby wipes and even some processed foods! Go Ahead, check your labels! A published clinical review showed propylene glycol causes a significant number of reactions and was a primary irritant to the skin even in low levels of concentrations.
The American Academy of Dermatologists, Inc; Jan. 1991 What can PROPYLENE GLYCOL Do To Us?In 1938, the FDA grandfathered the use of several ingredients as safe for personal care items, with restrictions of course. Based on what? There were no studies on repeated exposure over time. The problem is PROPYLENE GLYCOL may be absorbed through the skin. Studies have shown SYSTEMIC retention (residue throughout).
NOW THIS OPENS UP A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME!Has anyone or any company tested the long-range side effects from constant use of these products? We haven't found any. Do these complex chemicals build up in our bodies? If Propylene Glycol keeps things from drying out - how? If it's absorbed into our bloodstream and into our cells, what does it do? Does it affect any of the simple, natural biological functions at the cellular level? You don't need a study to say - it's possible, even likely.
You do need a conclusive study to make the producers stop using these ingredients! Yes, this is beginning to sound like another great American Tobacco Scandal. But before you get complacent and think the government is going to step in - think again. Look how long it has taken the cigarette pushers to get grilled - 20 years after the first Surgeon General's report..
The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for Propylene Glycol says: "May be harmful by ingestion or skin absorption. May cause eye irritation, skin irritation. Chronic exposure can cause gastro-intestinal disturbances, nausea, headache and vomiting, central nervous system depression. ("Toxicological profile for ethylene glycol and propylene glycol (update)." Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 1996. Atlanta, Ga; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.)
Propylene glycol is also used as a solvent in acrylics, stains, inks and dyes, and in cellophane and brake fluid. It is used as a preservative in flavored coffees. PG can have an anesthetic effect. Other side effects on animals exposed to PG include heart arrhythmia, stunted growth, decreased blood pressure, and even death. BG - Butylene Glycol - is now being used to replace PG in some personal care products, even though Butylene Glycol is the only one of the glycols that has not been able to even to get on the GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) list!
In the book "Beauty to Die For" the cosmetic consequence by Judi Vance gives the following information:
"Propylene glycol is one of the most common humectants. It is used in many cosmetics including liquid foundation makeup, spray deodorants, baby lotions, emollients or moisturizers, lipsticks and suntan lotions. It is less expensive than glycerin and has a better permeation rate. It has also been linked to sensitivity reactions -- local irritations, allergic reactions. This would not be news to the manufacturers of propylene glycol. If you were to purchase a drum of this chemical from a manufacturer he is required to furnish you with a material safety data sheet (MSDS) and it may alarm you to find that this common, widely used humectant has a cautionary warning in its MSDS that reads, "If on skin: thoroughly wash with soap and water!" What? Aren't we putting this stuff on our skins daily, sometimes in copious amounts over long periods of time?
It's no wonder propylene glycol has been linked to many severe health problems including contact dermatitis (irritation), auto toxicity, kidney damage and liver abnormalities. It has been shown to be toxic to human cells in cultures. (Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Jan. 1987) In fact, in tests conducted over the years propylene glycol has been shown to inhibit skin cells growth in human tests and cell respiration in animal tests. (J. Pharm. Belg. Nov/Dec 1989). It was found to cause skeletal muscular damage in rats and rabbits (Pharm Res Sept. 1989). It is reported to directly alter cell membranes (Human Reproduction, Feb 1990) to cause thickening of the skin (contact dermatitis, 1987) skin dehydration and chronic surface damage to skin ( Derm. Beruf Umwelt July/Aug, 1988) It was also shown to increase beta activity (changes found in anxiety states) when inhaled. (The Medical Post Sept 27, 1994.)
Propylene glycol is a known irritant and sensitizer causing dryness, erythema (abnormal redness) and even blistering. (Safety Evaluation of a Barrier Cream, Contact Dermatitis, 17:10-12, 1987)
Despite its record, propylene glycol continues to appear in our everyday products. It was originally developed for use in industry as an anti-freeze, brake fluid, airplane de-icer among other applications and it's doing a good job there. In fairness, the producers of these products are not doing anything illegal. They use Propylene Glycol and other questionable substances, for three reasons ..
1.. They do the JOB2.. They're CHEAP - (In most cases the cap on the bottle costs more that the ingredients inside)
3.. They're ALLOWED! Think About It ..What would you do if you were the Big Cheese at PROPYL & GLYCOL with corporate profits to fatten? You probably wouldn't offer to do a study and you sure wouldn't change anything else without being able to justify additional costs to your stockholders. And if you think Anti-Freeze ingredients in your expensive cosmetics and personal care items is disgusting .. It's just the tip of the iceberg! How it got into our cosmetics 30 years ago is anyone's guess but it's time it was taken out of our personal care products and kept off our bodies.!" Testimonial: 7-5-04 - "Thank you for the information. I just wanted to share an experience with you. I started having problems with getting rashes on various parts of my body. I went to the dermatologist and he did a "Patch Test" in which he taped 45 different substances commonly found in everyday products that people's skin may come into contact with to see if I'd react to any. Well, the one containing propylene glycol blistered. How could manufacturers put that harmful ingredient into shampoos, soaps, body washes, laundry detergent, lotions, etc. I can't believe it. I went to an organic store and bought all new stuff. Just wanted to share" Katie
Toxic Ingredient References
What is 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyethanol acetate?
2-Butoxyethanol is a clear colorless liquid that smells like ether. It
has many names including ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol
butyl ether, ethylene glycol n-butyl ether, Butyl Cellusolve, butyl glycol,
and butyl Oxitol. It is used as a solvent in spray lacquers, enamels,
varnishes, and latex paints and as an ingredient in paint thinners and
strippers, varnish removers, and herbicides. It is also used in liquid
soaps, cosmetics, industrial and household cleaners, and dry-cleaning
compounds.
How can 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyethanol acetate affect my health? People exposed to high levels of 2-butoxyethanol for several hours reported irritation of the nose and eyes, headache, a metallic taste in their mouths, and vomiting. No harmful effects were seen on their lungs or hearts. People who swallowed large amounts of cleaning agents containing 2-butoxyethanol have shown breathing problems, low blood pressure, low levels of hemoglobin (the substance in the blood that carries oxygen to organs of the body), acidic blood, and blood in the urine.
It is not known whether 2-butoxyethanol or 2-butoxyethanol acetate can affect reproduction or cause birth defects in people.
Animal studies have shown hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells that results in the release of hemoglobin) from exposure to 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyethanol acetate. High doses of 2-butoxyethanol can also cause reproductive problems and minor birth defects in animals.
NTP technical report on the toxicity studies of Ethylene Glycol Ethers: 2-Methoxyethanol, 2-Ethoxyethanol, 2-Butoxyethanol (CAS Nos. 109-86-4, 110-80-5, 111-76-2) Administered in Drinking Water to F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice.
Dieter M.. In summary, based on survival, decreased body weight gains, and histopathologic effects, the rank order of toxicity for the three glycol alkyl ethers was 2-methoxyethanol>2-ethoxyethanol>2-butoxyethanol; the toxic effects were more severe in rats than in mice. In the 13-week study of 2-methoxyethanol in rats, a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was not reached, since testicular degeneration in males and decreased thymus weights in males and females occurred at the lowest concentration administered (750 ppm). In the 13-week study of 2-ethoxyethanol in rats, the NOAEL for decreased thymus weights in males was 1250 ppm; for female rats treated with 2-ethoxyethanol for 13 weeks, the NOAEL for all histopathologic and hematologic effects was 5000 ppm. In rats treated with 2-butoxyethanol for 13 weeks, the NOAEL for liver degeneration was 1500 ppm in males and females. For male mice treated with 2-methoxyethanol for 13 weeks, the NOAEL for testicular degeneration and increased hematopoiesis in the spleen was 2000 ppm. A NOAEL was not reached for female mice treated with 2-methoxyethanol, since adrenal gland hypertrophy and increased hematopoiesis in the spleen occurred at the lowest concentration administered (2000 ppm). For male mice treated with 2-ethoxyethanol for 13 weeks, the NOAEL for testicular degeneration and increased hematopoiesis in the spleen was 20,000 ppm. For female mice in the 13-week study of 2-ethoxyethanol, the NOAEL for adrenal gland hypertrophy and increased hematopoiesis in the spleen was 5000 ppm. No clear chemical-related effects were seen in male or female mice administered 2-butoxyethanol for 13 weeks at concentrations as high as 6000 ppm. Synonyms: 2-Methoxyethanol: Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether; methyl cellosolve; 2-Ethoxyethanol: Ethylene glycol monoethyl ether; cellosolve; 2-Butoxyethanol: Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether; butyl cellosolve.
SO...YOU WANT TO FEED THIS STUFF TO YOUR KIDS. Our skin is the largest organ we have, and when you apply a chemical to it...within 10 seconds that chemical is absorbed into every cell of your body... want to test this theory...go to your local vet and get some dmso. Apply one drop of dmso to your skin, within seconds you have the taste of dmso in your mouth, that is because it has been absorbed by all your cells. All forms of petroleum based glycol are hazardous, yes, some forms more hazardous than others. There's more info on the internet regarding toxicity levels.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp96-c1.pdf jh _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.htmlSearch the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages):http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
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