What is Polyethylene Glycol?

What is Polyethylene Glycol?

Polyethylene Glycol, or PEG as it is abbreviated, is a synthetic petroleum based molecule with many uses. While it was discovered as long ago as 1859, it is only in recent times that it has become the ubiquitous product used to keep cosmetics, medical products, food stuffs fresh, free flowing, and longer lasting. PEG is differentiated by number which represent its molecular weight. It is supposedly non-toxic, and a non-irritant – unless of course you are allergic to it as I and many others are. 

Being allergic to a particular molecular weight of PEG in theory does not mean you are allergic to all of them. So far, I haven’t found any I’m not allergic to so I remain to be convinced of that. 

Supposedly, it is only ‘contact’ that causes a problem. Try telling that to those of us who have reactions to air-borne PEG. Also supposedly it is safe in medical uses – also not true. If you are allergic to PEG in my experience all forms will give rise to some reaction, even if that reaction is at a manageable level. 

Ingredients Panels

If you wonder why this is such a huge problem, try going and reading the ingredients panels of all the products you have in your bathroom or under the sink in the kitchen. Then, if you have managed to read the very small font that the ingredients panel is printed with on UK products, think about how you cope when ingredients are not listed in full. Multiply that by the fact that PEG is also called Macrogol, Polyethylene Oxide (PEO), Carbowax, Polyoxyethylene (POE) as well as being known by multiple brand names and you will start to understand how difficult it can be to spot. 

If you don’t suffer from allergies it probably doesn’t occur to you that just about everything around you is made up of different ‘ingredients’. This is true of food, shampoo, washing powder, medicine, fibres making up your clothing, even your toilet paper and tissues. Absolutely everything! And if you have allergies that means checking every single thing you use.

What reactions does it cause?

Why does it matter? Because allergic reactions can be life threatening. This is not just about anaphylactic reactions to food. Allergens can cause serious life threatening asthma attacks. They can cause rashes, joint inflammation, headaches, cramp, sickness – I could go on. 

PEG is such a big subject that I will write other entries to cover some of the specific reactions and implications it can cause.