Polyethylene glycol
CompoundWikipedia
9
MENTIONS
5
EPISODES
5
PODCASTS
Search complete. 9 mentions across 5 episodes found for "Polyethylene glycol".
Sep 25, 2026
Nathalie NiddamHOST
Oh my God, like, it's crazy, right? Number five, we have ethoxylated ingredients and 1,4-dioxane.
Nathalie NiddamHOST
So names that hint at it, anything with PEG, P-E-G, or ETH, laureth, ceteareth, polysorbate, oxyanol.
Nathalie NiddamHOST
The process used to make these can leave behind 1,4-dioxane, a probable carcinogen that isn't on the label because it's a contaminant, not an ingredient.
Nathalie NiddamHOST
So it's found in bubbly things, things that sud, so shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, and even dish soap.
Nathalie NiddamHOST
Okay? So does it say fragrance or parfum? Big flag.
Nathalie NiddamHOST
Does it say paraben? Big flag.
Nathalie NiddamHOST
Do you see PEG or ETH or DMDM quaternium, urea? Another flag.
Nathalie NiddamHOST
Is the ingredient list short and made of words that you can kind of recognize as a plant or you can pronounce easily? These are generally a good sign, but it doesn't, it's not a guarantee.
Jeff AdamsGUEST
And we got, we got into the autism conference right after we opened the company, and we realized that a lot of, uh, people with, uh, mental handicaps, when you put something in their mouth, they swallow it.
Jeff AdamsGUEST
And if you look at almost any tube of toothpaste out there, um, it says, you know, "Do not swallow." You know, "Not intended for, for ingestion" or, "Do not swallow." Um, and I also realized that almost all of them u- use polyethyl glycol, you know, which PEG, um, in their product, which is basically antifreeze.
Jeff AdamsGUEST
You know, and they use it as a sweetener but also as a binding agent.
Jeff AdamsGUEST
So, um, you know, it's really interesting how God works because I was so focused on getting a toothpaste out there, you know? It's gotta be a paste.
ClaireHOST
And two excipients in particular require attention.
ClaireHOST
The first is PEG or polyethylene glycol, which is ubiquitous in laxatives and pill coatings.
JulianHOST
But PEG is unique because it isn't a liver detoxification issue, is it?
ClaireHOST
No, it largely bypasses the phase one and phase two pipeline entirely.
ClaireHOST
Instead, it creates an immunological problem.
JulianHOST
An immune recognition problem.
ClaireHOST
Right.
ClaireHOST
In a subset of the population, the body's immune system identifies PEG as a foreign invader and manufactures anti-PEG antibodies.
Luiza PettinelliGUEST
And sometimes I use...
Luiza PettinelliGUEST
For example, PEG, you know, polyethylene
Carmen FongHOST
glycol, which is Miralax for us, Brandy.
Carmen FongHOST
Yes, Miralax for you.
speaker_2NARRATOR
This way the shape of the object is preserved.
speaker_2NARRATOR
Another conservation process is the PEG saturation.
speaker_2NARRATOR
The pieces are immersed in a solution of water and synthetic wax polyethylene glycol to a temperature close to 60 degrees Celsius.
speaker_2NARRATOR
The concentration of this wax will be increased gradually.