Answer to Question #54105 in General Chemistry for Kerry Kuzak

Question

I am highly allergic to both propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol. When I buy a new product I check ingredients from the U.S. Household Products data base to see if it is related to PG and PEG. Alternate names or synonyms are listed. How do I tell how closely linked the chemical is to PG or PEG? For example, sodium laureth sulfate lists PEG as an alternate name even though it is not an alcohol like the glycols. Thank you