I have seen several items on the net discussing the safety of the E.G.G.. Part of the effectiveness of the E.G.G. is the fact that the ethylene is being reacted out of existence, rather than just being “adhered” to the surface of the zeolite. This reaction is with the potassium permanganate (KMnO4) that is bonded to the surface of the zeolite. The ionic charge on the zeolite attracts the ethylene to the surface then the potassium permanganate reacts with it.
By itself, potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizer and has the potential to be harmful if handled improperly. It has been pointed out that the MSDS for potassium permanganate discusses the hazards, whereas the MSDS for the E.G.G. does not.* The reason for that is the form which the potassium permanganate is in. In the E.G.G. the KMnO4 is not available for reacting with skin, eyes, lungs, etc. because it is bound up in the zeolite. The beauty of zeolite is that it has a massive internal surface area. The amount of surface area of zeolite that you can see or touch is a minuscule percentage of the total surface area of the pellet. The patented process by which the KMnO4 is bonded to the surface of the zeolites gets it onto the entire surface area, not just the visible surface area. Since the potassium permanganate is bonded to the zeolite surface and is no longer mobile, and the amount that can be contacted physically is so small it is a pretty innocuous substance.
Since ethylene is a gas, it can be drawn into the interior surfaces of the zeolite for its final disposal. The key difference is that the ethylene moves to the potassium permanganate and the potassium permanganate can not move to you.
Further confirmation of the safety of the E.G.G. is inherent in its listing by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) as safe for use in the production of organic products. If there were any danger of contaminating produce, you can bet that they would not allow its use in organic processing.
*Although MSDSs are required for industrial handling – i.e. the workers who handle the material during its production and shipping – and may contain little information of value for consumers, we have a link on the website for the E.G.G.s MSDS.
Tags: organic produce, potassium permanganate, product safety, zeolite
July 10, 2008 at 8:38 am
Lori Greiner. I would like to know how I could order some of the E.G.G. I really like them. So Please let me know. Audrey Berry
July 11, 2008 at 6:27 pm
The E.G.G. product that Lori sold on QVC may be ordered on the website at http://www.4theegg.com. On the website, the product code is XEGG and costs $15.99 plus S&H. If you would like to order just the replacement kit for the QVC set, purchase the refill product. If you put, “Lori Greiner refill” in the comment box, we will send an extra packet to use with the third egg.
Tom
January 11, 2009 at 4:45 pm
where can i buy the e.g.g ?i live in eastern nc. have used before and love them.
January 12, 2009 at 12:18 pm
The E.G.G. is available in some regions of Whole Foods Markets. I believe the region that includes North Carolina does. The E.G.G. is sold as “Healthy Harvest Freshness Extender” in Whole Foods Markets. If they don’t have it you can always buy it on line at http://www.4theegg.com. Thank you for the comment and I hope this helps.