Glycol is a toxic substance that can be found, for example, in paints, paints and cleaning agents. Glycols are dihydric alcohols (drinkable alcohol is monohydric). Here we explain where glycols are still used everywhere.
When Glycol are all substances from the group of dihydric alcohols. For example, this is Polyeethylene glycol (PEG) and Propylene glycol (also declared as Propylene glycol). The fabric can be vegetable Glycerin and also from environmentally harmful oil getting produced. Glycol has the following properties:
- freezing point: −10 to −15 ° C
- Melting temperature: 18 ° C
- colour: colorless
- taste: sweet
- toxicity: when lethal dose apply 1.4 ml / kg
- danger: highly flammable, irritating to mucous membranes
Glycol: That’s how dangerous the substance is
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Glycols are commonly used substances in industry. Because their freezing point is clearly below minus ten degrees and therefore below that of water, glycols are suitable for products that have to endure extreme cold. For example, they are contained in anti-freeze and ensure that the liquid does not freeze. If you work with glycols, you should always wear a breathing mask. Because the vapors can Severely irritate mucous membranes and cause bad damage. You can also Heart, lung, liver and kidney damage occur. You should avoid direct contact. First Symptoms after contact are intoxication, but without having a “flag”. Then there are typical gastrointestinal symptoms including coma, seizures and death.
CodeCheck indicates that glycol may interfere with children’s development and may be hormonal. Glycol is found in various cosmetic products to moisturize and dissolve other substances in the cosmetics.
However, glycols can also result in harmless mixtures in combination with other substances.
Where are glycols?
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Glycols are contained in numerous everyday products as well as in many industrial products:
- toothpaste
- Creams like skin cream
- Deodorant
- chewing gum
- Tobacco and e-cigarettes
- PET bottles
- Antifreeze
- de-icer
- Varnishes and paints
- Cleaning agents
- Liquid for fog machines
Glycol in wine scandal
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A major scandal sparked in the summer of 1985 Glycol in wine from: At that time, several winegrowers in Germany and Austria added diethylene glycol to their wines to make them taste sweeter and more aromatic. Federal Minister of Health Heiner Geißler warned the population of various wines after the chemical had previously been found in the wine by Austrian authorities. The background is that particularly sweet, lovely wines were popular in Germany at this time. However, since the sun hardly shone and the grapes were not very sweet, some winegrowers helped with the taste with diethylene glycol. The Austrian authorities are said to have known about the glycols in the wine, but initially concealed this. It was only after several weeks that tests by German authorities showed that around one million liters of wine were contaminated with up to 8.7 grams of glycol per liter.
The glycol scandal is considered the beginning of all food scandals in Germany and Austria. Austria has now introduced the strictest wine law in the world and high penalties for violations. The has detailed background on the 1985 wine scandal world worked up.
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