The Ingredient That Got Fireball Whisky Banned Could Save Kids’ Lives
Occasionally, a food additive is so wrong, it’s right.
Propylene glycol will live in infamy as the reason why Finland, Sweden, and Norway all lived three painfully sober weeks without Fireball Whisky in late 2014. Most people simply referred to the chemical compound as “the antifreeze thing,” which isn’t entirely inaccurate.
Propylene glycol is used to prevent machine overheating in food factories because it’s significantly less toxic than ethylene glycol, the Day-Glo-green antifreeze that goes into your car. It is also “generally recognized as safe” by the FDA and is commonly used as a preservative and thickening agent in prepackaged ice cream, yogurt, and, indeed, liquor.
Now, researchers at Cal Poly Pomona have found a way to use propylene glycol as a suitable antifreeze in cars, which, according to a press release from the American Chemical Society, has the potential to save lives.
Because standard ethylene glycol–based antifreeze smells sweet and—to the untrained, over-sugared eye of a toddler—looks like a bottle of melted sour apple Jolly Ranchers, it ends up in more digestive systems than it should. (That poison and candy now look the same could be a much deeper critique of the American food system, but that’s another story.)
According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, there were 6,000 reports of antifreeze poisoning in 2012, many of the victims unwitting children. On top of that, 90,000 animals are poisoned every year, according to The Humane Society.
Researchers found that by adding metal nanoparticles, they could make the thick, syrupy propylene glycol thin enough to flow through car radiators. Not only does it function like normal ethylene glycol, but researcher Edward Clancy said in a press release that if the new antifreeze catches on, it could result in a more efficient machine.
“A smaller radiator would result in a lighter car, thereby increasing fuel economy and cutting emissions,” Clancy said.
It’s still a far cry to call propylene glycol healthy to consume. It has been linked to allergic reactions in people who suffer from skin conditions, and the European Food Safety Authority rarely allows it to be used outside of industrial purposes—which is why Fireball got pulled from Scandinavian shelves in 2014.
Fireball Whisky has not commented on the new antifreeze development, and it is unclear whether there might be a cross-branding effort in the future.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Does the FDA’s New Food Label Go Far Enough?
• Are GMO Labeling Laws Inevitable?
• Antifreeze-Filled Vodka and Other Sickening Food Scams Shut Down by Police
Original article from TakePart
