diff --git a/packages/platform-browser/src/browser/browser_adapter.ts b/packages/platform-browser/src/browser/browser_adapter.ts
index 2407675546..63e2b65d62 100644
--- a/packages/platform-browser/src/browser/browser_adapter.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-browser/src/browser/browser_adapter.ts
@@ -363,7 +363,6 @@ export class BrowserDomAdapter extends GenericBrowserDomAdapter {
   }
   getComputedStyle(element: any): any { return getComputedStyle(element); }
   // TODO(tbosch): move this into a separate environment class once we have it
-  setGlobalVar(path: string, value: any) { setValueOnPath(global, path, value); }
   supportsWebAnimation(): boolean {
     return typeof(<any>Element).prototype['animate'] === 'function';
   }
@@ -419,20 +418,3 @@ export function parseCookieValue(cookieStr: string, name: string): string|null {
   }
   return null;
 }
-
-export function setValueOnPath(global: any, path: string, value: any) {
-  const parts = path.split('.');
-  let obj: any = global;
-  while (parts.length > 1) {
-    const name = parts.shift() !;
-    if (obj.hasOwnProperty(name) && obj[name] != null) {
-      obj = obj[name];
-    } else {
-      obj = obj[name] = {};
-    }
-  }
-  if (obj === undefined || obj === null) {
-    obj = {};
-  }
-  obj[parts.shift() !] = value;
-}
diff --git a/packages/platform-browser/src/browser/tools/tools.ts b/packages/platform-browser/src/browser/tools/tools.ts
index dd771943a4..1ebbbb14d9 100644
--- a/packages/platform-browser/src/browser/tools/tools.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-browser/src/browser/tools/tools.ts
@@ -7,11 +7,10 @@
  */
 
 import {ComponentRef} from '@angular/core';
-import {getDOM} from '../../dom/dom_adapter';
-
+import {exportNgVar} from '../../dom/util';
 import {AngularProfiler} from './common_tools';
 
-const PROFILER_GLOBAL_NAME = 'ng.profiler';
+const PROFILER_GLOBAL_NAME = 'profiler';
 
 /**
  * Enabled Angular debug tools that are accessible via your browser's
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@ const PROFILER_GLOBAL_NAME = 'ng.profiler';
  * @experimental All debugging apis are currently experimental.
  */
 export function enableDebugTools<T>(ref: ComponentRef<T>): ComponentRef<T> {
-  getDOM().setGlobalVar(PROFILER_GLOBAL_NAME, new AngularProfiler(ref));
+  exportNgVar(PROFILER_GLOBAL_NAME, new AngularProfiler(ref));
   return ref;
 }
 
@@ -37,5 +36,5 @@ export function enableDebugTools<T>(ref: ComponentRef<T>): ComponentRef<T> {
  * @experimental All debugging apis are currently experimental.
  */
 export function disableDebugTools(): void {
-  getDOM().setGlobalVar(PROFILER_GLOBAL_NAME, null);
+  exportNgVar(PROFILER_GLOBAL_NAME, null);
 }
diff --git a/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/debug/ng_probe.ts b/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/debug/ng_probe.ts
index c960d04907..e74b9cb3d2 100644
--- a/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/debug/ng_probe.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/debug/ng_probe.ts
@@ -7,15 +7,15 @@
  */
 
 import * as core from '@angular/core';
-import {getDOM} from '../dom_adapter';
+import {exportNgVar} from '../util';
 
 const CORE_TOKENS = {
   'ApplicationRef': core.ApplicationRef,
   'NgZone': core.NgZone,
 };
 
-const INSPECT_GLOBAL_NAME = 'ng.probe';
-const CORE_TOKENS_GLOBAL_NAME = 'ng.coreTokens';
+const INSPECT_GLOBAL_NAME = 'probe';
+const CORE_TOKENS_GLOBAL_NAME = 'coreTokens';
 
 /**
  * Returns a {@link DebugElement} for the given native DOM element, or
@@ -36,9 +36,8 @@ export class NgProbeToken {
 
 export function _createNgProbe(extraTokens: NgProbeToken[], coreTokens: core.NgProbeToken[]): any {
   const tokens = (extraTokens || []).concat(coreTokens || []);
-  getDOM().setGlobalVar(INSPECT_GLOBAL_NAME, inspectNativeElement);
-  getDOM().setGlobalVar(
-      CORE_TOKENS_GLOBAL_NAME, {...CORE_TOKENS, ..._ngProbeTokensToMap(tokens || [])});
+  exportNgVar(INSPECT_GLOBAL_NAME, inspectNativeElement);
+  exportNgVar(CORE_TOKENS_GLOBAL_NAME, {...CORE_TOKENS, ..._ngProbeTokensToMap(tokens || [])});
   return () => inspectNativeElement;
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/dom_adapter.ts b/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/dom_adapter.ts
index 78057ee80d..922aca5f8c 100644
--- a/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/dom_adapter.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/dom_adapter.ts
@@ -151,7 +151,6 @@ export abstract class DomAdapter {
   abstract setData(element: any, name: string, value: string): any;
   abstract getComputedStyle(element: any): any;
   abstract getData(element: any, name: string): string|null;
-  abstract setGlobalVar(name: string, value: any): any;
   abstract supportsWebAnimation(): boolean;
   abstract performanceNow(): number;
   abstract getAnimationPrefix(): string;
diff --git a/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/util.ts b/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/util.ts
index 5638c3025b..efbbbdb71a 100644
--- a/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/util.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-browser/src/dom/util.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
  * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.io/license
  */
 
+import {ɵglobal as global} from '@angular/core';
+
 const CAMEL_CASE_REGEXP = /([A-Z])/g;
 const DASH_CASE_REGEXP = /-([a-z])/g;
 
@@ -17,3 +19,19 @@ export function camelCaseToDashCase(input: string): string {
 export function dashCaseToCamelCase(input: string): string {
   return input.replace(DASH_CASE_REGEXP, (...m: string[]) => m[1].toUpperCase());
 }
+
+/**
+ * Exports the value under a given `name` in the global property `ng`. For example `ng.probe` if
+ * `name` is `'probe'`.
+ * @param name Name under which it will be exported. Keep in mind this will be a property of the
+ * global `ng` object.
+ * @param value The value to export.
+ */
+export function exportNgVar(name: string, value: any): void {
+  if (!ng) {
+    global['ng'] = ng = (global['ng'] as{[key: string]: any} | undefined) || {};
+  }
+  ng[name] = value;
+}
+
+let ng: {[key: string]: any}|undefined;
diff --git a/packages/platform-browser/src/private_export.ts b/packages/platform-browser/src/private_export.ts
index cb65462ab5..0ae42de328 100644
--- a/packages/platform-browser/src/private_export.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-browser/src/private_export.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 
 export {BROWSER_SANITIZATION_PROVIDERS as ɵBROWSER_SANITIZATION_PROVIDERS, INTERNAL_BROWSER_PLATFORM_PROVIDERS as ɵINTERNAL_BROWSER_PLATFORM_PROVIDERS, initDomAdapter as ɵinitDomAdapter} from './browser';
 export {BrowserDomAdapter as ɵBrowserDomAdapter} from './browser/browser_adapter';
-export {setValueOnPath as ɵsetValueOnPath} from './browser/browser_adapter';
 export {BrowserPlatformLocation as ɵBrowserPlatformLocation} from './browser/location/browser_platform_location';
 export {TRANSITION_ID as ɵTRANSITION_ID} from './browser/server-transition';
 export {BrowserGetTestability as ɵBrowserGetTestability} from './browser/testability';
diff --git a/packages/platform-server/src/parse5_adapter.ts b/packages/platform-server/src/parse5_adapter.ts
index a31c6bb688..789cb76f95 100644
--- a/packages/platform-server/src/parse5_adapter.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-server/src/parse5_adapter.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 const parse5 = require('parse5');
 
 import {ɵglobal as global} from '@angular/core';
-import {ɵDomAdapter as DomAdapter, ɵsetRootDomAdapter as setRootDomAdapter, ɵsetValueOnPath as setValueOnPath} from '@angular/platform-browser';
+import {ɵDomAdapter as DomAdapter, ɵsetRootDomAdapter as setRootDomAdapter} from '@angular/platform-browser';
 import {SelectorMatcher, CssSelector} from '@angular/compiler';
 
 let treeAdapter: any;
@@ -611,7 +611,6 @@ export class Parse5DomAdapter extends DomAdapter {
   getComputedStyle(el: any): any { throw 'not implemented'; }
   setData(el: any, name: string, value: string) { this.setAttribute(el, 'data-' + name, value); }
   // TODO(tbosch): move this into a separate environment class once we have it
-  setGlobalVar(path: string, value: any) { setValueOnPath(global, path, value); }
   supportsWebAnimation(): boolean { return false; }
   performanceNow(): number { return Date.now(); }
   getAnimationPrefix(): string { return ''; }
diff --git a/packages/platform-webworker/src/web_workers/worker/worker_adapter.ts b/packages/platform-webworker/src/web_workers/worker/worker_adapter.ts
index f2bb27b29a..7c44a6434a 100644
--- a/packages/platform-webworker/src/web_workers/worker/worker_adapter.ts
+++ b/packages/platform-webworker/src/web_workers/worker/worker_adapter.ts
@@ -154,7 +154,6 @@ export class WorkerDomAdapter extends DomAdapter {
   setData(element: any, name: string, value: string) { throw 'not implemented'; }
   getComputedStyle(element: any): any { throw 'not implemented'; }
   getData(element: any, name: string): string { throw 'not implemented'; }
-  setGlobalVar(name: string, value: any) { throw 'not implemented'; }
   performanceNow(): number { throw 'not implemented'; }
   getAnimationPrefix(): string { throw 'not implemented'; }
   getTransitionEnd(): string { throw 'not implemented'; }