I’ve been seeing people saying there’s antifreeze in the COVID vaccines. The TL;DR version is there isn’t, but let me try to explain where they’re getting this from in case you’ve heard it or you hear someone talking about it.
One of the ingredients in both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is something called Polyethylene glycol. The main ingredient in antifreeze is Ethylene Glycol. Although they sound similar, they are not the same thing at all. Here is a more technical description of their differences, and here is a more friendly one.
Sometimes two compounds have similar-sounding names but would be disastrous if confused. Polyethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are two of these substances. While the first is a common ingredient in medications, the latter is a highly toxic industrial product.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
Although they have similar-sounding names, polyethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are very different compounds. In controlled amounts, polyethylene glycol is not harmful if ingested and is an ingredient in laxative medications. Ethylene glycol, by contrast, is very toxic and is best known for its use in antifreeze and deicer solutions.
I remember making this mistake years ago. I think it was when Trixie was needing some kind of squirty probiotic medication. For some reason, I looked up the ingredients, saw something about “ethylene glycol”, and panicked. I messaged my friend a string of incomprehensible words. When she figured out what I was on about, she set me straight. I vividly remember the words “It’s harmless. It’s lube, *giggle*” And it is.
Polyethylene Glycol is used in all sorts of medication, skin care products, and other vaccines. In the case of this vaccine, it’s used to stabilize the stuff that’s teaching your body how to fight the virus. That’s why it’s in there, not for some random reason. And it isn’t antifreeze. Sure, it’s not nutritious and delicious, but in the tiny amount in the vaccine, it won’t do you any harm.
Ug, people. I understand you’re afraid and seeing words like ethylene glycol together with vaccine would be scary. But we have Google. Use it. Half a second of googling found this link, and if you don’t believe in that one because it comes from some big government website that’s trying to implant people with microchips, you can find many others that say the same thing. Don’t believe everything you hear, and certainly check into it before you post it somewhere.