Propylene glycol: Fireball whiskey pulled from EU shelves
Go big or go home. #ThirstyThursday pic.twitter.com/opeGTzjsRI
— Fireball Whisky (@FireballWhisky) October 23, 2014
Fireball whiskey has been pulled from the shelves of Alko (a European alcohol store) in Norway, Finland, and Sweden for its high levels of propylene glycol. The sweetening substance, known as a less toxic version of ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), makes the whiskey go down easier and the cinnamon flavor more prominent.
The infamous cinnamon booze has grown substantially in popularity recently because of how easy it is to drink, especially for newbies. The United States’ FDA has labeled propylene glycol “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS), though the European Union has stricter regulations regarding food additives. The organic compound is able to be classified as “non-toxic” in the U.S. because it isn’t nearly as toxic as normal anti-freeze.
Many of us know that drinking traditional anti-freeze (for your car’s radiator) can kill you, so what can propylene glycol do to you? Livestrong.com states that the chemical is found in antifreeze, liquid laundry detergent solvents, and paint. It is also an additive to pet foods, pharmaceuticals, tobacco products, and even frozen dessert products like ice cream.
In terms of toxicity, the all-knowing Wikipedia says:
The acute oral toxicity of propylene glycol is very low, and large quantities are required to cause perceptible health damage in humans; propylene glycol is metabolized in the human body into pyruvic acid (a normal part of the glucose-metabolism process, readily converted to energy), acetic acid (handled by ethanol-metabolism), lactic acid (a normal acid generally abundant during digestion),[16] and propionaldehyde (a potentially hazardous substance).[17][18][19]
Serious toxicity generally occurs at plasma concentrations over 4 g/L in, which requires extremely high intake over a relatively short period of time, or when used as a vehicle for drugs or vitamins given intravenously or orally.[20] It would be nearly impossible to reach toxic levels by consuming foods or supplements, which contain at most 1 g/kg of PG.
So chances are you’ll probably die from alcohol poisoning long before the propylene glycol gets you. Nevertheless, it isn’t necessarily promoting your health so you could drink a different liquor if it worries you.
Fireball has now prepared two versions of the drink; one for the U.S. and Canada, and the other for the EU (with less propylene glycol of course). Time will tell if the U.S. will follow suit and demand change after this topic has gone viral on the web.
Watch the Wedding Fireball GoPro video:
