I thought that the following article was interesting to Muslim chemical engineers. The original article may be found here.
Ruling on using materials to which “animal glycerin” has been added
Question:
What is the ruling on using materials to which “animal glycerin” has been added, such as toothpaste, shampoo and body moisturizers. What is the ruling on mono-glyceride and di-glyceride, which are added to some kinds of bread? Is the basic principle that one should check or ask about the source of these materials, and find out whether they are animal or vegetable? Is checking on these things regarded as a kind of going to extremes? How should we respond to those who say that the basic principle is that a thing is permissible so long as it is not mixed with anything haraam? Or those who say that religion is easy and we should not go to extremes or ask too much?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The materials which are used to manufacture creams, shampoos, toothpaste and soap are either:
- Animal fats
- or other substances, of vegetable origin or artificial.
If the substance comes from animal fats, then it is of two types:
- Either it comes from animals that are permissible to eat, and it has been slaughtered according to sharee’ah, or it comes from sea creatures that do not need to be slaughtered. The ruling in this case is that it is permissible, with no doubt.
- Or it comes from animals whose meat and fat are forbidden to eat, such as pigs, or it comes from a permissible animal but it has not been slaughtered in the proper shar’i manner, so it is “dead meat”. The ruling in both cases is that it is haraam, with no doubt.
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
If a Muslim is certain or thinks it most likely that meat, fat or ground bones of a pig have got into any food, medicine or toothpaste etc, then it is not permissible for him to eat it, drink it or use it. In the case of doubt, then he should not use it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt.”
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (22/281).
In a statement issued by the Islamic Medical Sciences Organization in Kuwait – which discussed the issue of haraam and impure substances in food and medicine, from 22-24 Dhu’l-Hijjah 1415 AH/ 22-24 May 1995 – it says:
[6.] Food substances which include pork fat in their ingredients which has not undergone any process to change it to something different, like some kinds of cheese, oils, fats, ghee, butter and some kinds of biscuits, chocolate and ice cream, are haraam, and it is not permissible to eat them at all, based on the consensus of the scholars that pork fat is impure (naajis) and it is not permissible to eat it, and because there is no need to consume this substance.
End quote.
(continued)
Wata - Malaysian Oil and Gas Engineer 
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