Water??

[findtheanswernow]

My son has a confirmed allergy to Propylene Glycol. For him, I know when he's been exposed because it shows up in his skin. The worse is in his face and neck. Red, flushed, blotchy, streaked. Itchy and dry. It's a constant battle of playing detective, finding hidden sources of PG, and maintaining healthy skin.

We recently took a trip to California. Traveling is always stressful because it's hard to control exposure when eating out and staying somewhere different. But this trip his skin did great. NO problems.

And then when we got home, his skin flared up.

I'm racking my brain wondering what is in MY HOME that could cause flare ups. His diet is severely restricted, I clean with nothing but vinegar and baking soda, we are careful with soaps and lotions.

COULD IT BE THE WATER? Realizing he only drank bottled water on our trip. We drink tap water at home.

Feeling desperate, so have to ask if anyone has any information about potential for PG exposure through tap water. (We live in state of Georgia, U.S.).

Thanks.

[kerrykuzak]

I'm so sorry to hear of the battle you face figuring out things that could be triggering your son's skin. If he did well on the trip, it is more likely that something at home or brought home is the problem. I doubt if it is the tap water, although filtered water is highly preferrable to tap water (Berkey systems). Since you seem to be careful about cleaning products, I'm assuming you're also careful with washing clothes products. Did he buy a tee-shirt or another piece of apparel that may have been exposed to PG? I have reactions to fragrances that other people wear and then I am near their clothes or try them on at the store after they left their colognes, etc. on the material. I never wear new clothes without washing them at least once in my own detergent.(1 part Borax, 1 part Arm and Hammer Laundry Booster, 1/2 part salt). I have bought thrifted clothes and had to wash them at least 3 times because of the odor and residual Tide. I don't know how your son reacts to clothing materials, but I cannot wear polyester, except in VERY small percentages. I try to buy all cotton, linen or even acrylic whenever possible. Best wishes with your detective work.

[gothchiq]

A lot of things contain glycols but the names of the ingredients don't look or sound anything like glycols. Google every ingredients of all your shampoos, conditioners, soaps, dishwashing detergents, laundry detergents, etc. If you use Palmolive dish liquid, I would advise you to get rid of it because even though the ingredients label doesn't indicate so, the green coloring in it has PG. Windex has it also. Even Simple Green cleanser has a small amount, which they don't disclose on the label. I found out by contacting the company. It is very unlikely that the water itself is contaminated.