What do the Clean, Low, Watch and Swap levels mean?

They are cut from a continuous concern level the app computes from the sourced claims that the chosen evidence lens shows: each claim counts its concern class, tier weight, confidence and dose relevance, combined worst-first with a decay so one serious finding outweighs many small ones, then scaled by how much of the substance reaches you in this use. Clean is below 0.35, Low below 1.1, Watch below 2.0 and Swap above that, on a 0 to 3 scale.

Is Polyethylene Glycol safe in food and drink?

Q: Is polyethylene glycol safe in food and drink?

Under the app's default Cautious lens, polyethylene glycol in food and drink rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. 3 sourced concerns count (suspected carcinogen, consensus tier; irritant · allergen, consensus tier; irritant · allergen, consensus tier). This is research with sources, not medical advice.

Medicines & supplements1 use researched3 sourced claims

Where it turns up: common tablet coating, plasticizer. Detox My Life researched polyethylene glycol under one use, because the same substance means something different in each use. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.

Level by use and lens

Use	Mainstream	Cautious (default)	Based	Concerns · favour · fringe
Eaten or drunk	Swap	Swap	Swap	3 · 0

Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.

Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog has no entry tied to this ingredient yet. When you scan a product that contains it, the app suggests cleaner alternative types for that product; the swap categories list what the catalog covers today.

Eaten or drunk Swap

Under the default Cautious lens polyethylene glycol in food and drink rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Swap; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.

Sourced concerns (3)

ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 90%

Polyethylene glycol, due to its manufacturing process (ethoxylation), can be contaminated with carcinogenic impurities such as ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane.

Why here: These contaminants are byproducts of the PEG synthesis and can be present in the final ingredient, leading to potential ingestion with PEG-containing products.
What would have to be true: Ingestion of PEG-containing products that have not been adequately purified to remove these contaminants.

Sources the engine cites (no regulator, review or study among them):

1 web article (laballey.com), linked in the app.
3 community or commercial pages, not counted here.

ConsensusIrritant · allergenconfidence 90%

Ingesting large quantities of polyethylene glycol can cause gastrointestinal upset, including nausea, gas, bloating, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.

Why here: Polyethylene glycol is used as an osmotic laxative, which works by drawing water into the intestines to soften stool and promote bowel movements, and large doses can overstimulate the digestive system.
What would have to be true: Ingestion of large quantities, or medicinal use as an osmotic laxative (e.g., 17g daily for constipation or higher doses for bowel preparation).

Sources the engine cites (no regulator, review or study among them):

4 web articles (laballey.com, clevelandclinic.org, webmd.com, …), linked in the app.

ConsensusIrritant · allergenconfidence 90%

Polyethylene glycol can cause allergic reactions, including severe and potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis, in some individuals upon ingestion.

Why here: Direct ingestion of PEG-containing products can trigger an immune response in sensitized individuals.
What would have to be true: Varies by individual sensitivity; even small amounts can trigger reactions in allergic individuals.

Sources the engine cites:

Anaphylactic Shock Caused by Ingestion of Polyethylene Glycol - Intestinal Research — irjournal.org (2015) · study

Not researched here

The engine has no dossier for polyethylene glycol when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.

This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.

Scan your own. The app reads any product label with your camera, works out how you are about to use it, and researches every ingredient for that use with live sources. Every scan adds to a Detox Score for your home, where 50 is a typical home in your region, and a plan of next swaps.

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