March 31, 1987
820K87012
ETHYLENE GLYCOL
Health Advisory
Office of Drinking Water
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
I. INTRODUCTION
The Health Advisory (HA) Program, sponsored by the Office of Drinking
Water (ODW), provides information on the health effects, analytical Tiethod-
ology and treatment technology that would be useful in dealing with the
contamination of drinking water. Health Advisories describe nonregulatory
concentrations of drinking water contaminants at which adverse health effects
would not be anticipated to occur over specific exposure durations. Health
Advisories contain a margin of safety to protect sensitive members oE the
population.
Health Advisories serve as informal technical guidance to assist Federal,
State and local officials responsible for protecting public health when
emergency spills or contamination situations occur. They are not to be
construed as legally enforceable Federal standards. The HAs are subject to
change as new information becomes available.
Health Advisories are developed for One-day, Ten-day, Longer-term
(approximately 7 years, or 10% of an individual's lifetime) and Lifetime
exposures based on data describing noncarcinogenic end points of toxicity.
Health Advisories do-not quantitatively incorporate any potential carcinogenic
risk from such exposure. For those substances that are known or probable
human carcinogens, according to the Agency classification scheme (Group A cr
B), Lifetime HAs are not recommended. The chemical concenrration values for
Group A or B carcinogens are correlated with carcinogenic risk estimates by
employing a cancer potency (unit risk) value together with assumptions for
lifetime exposure and the consumption of drinking watar. The cancer unit
risk is usually ierived from the linear multistage model with 95% upper
confidence limits. This provides a low-dose estimate of cancer risk to
humans that is considered unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk in excess
of the stated values. Excess cancer risk estimates may also be calculated
using the One-hit, Weibull, Logit or Probit models. There is no current
understanding of the biological mechanisms involved in cancer to suggest that
any one of these models is able to predict risk more accurately than another.
Because each model is based on differing assumptions, the estimates that are
derived can differ by several orders of magnitude.
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-2-
This Health Advisory is based upon information presented in the Office
of Drinking Water's Health Advisory Document for Ethylene Glycol (U.S. EPA,
1981). The 1981 Health Advisory is available for review at each EPA Regional
Office of Drinking Water counterpart (e.g., Water Supply Branch or Drinking
Water Branch).
II. GENERAL INFORMATION AND PROPERTIES
CAS No. 107-21-1
Structural Formula
CH2-OH
CH2-OH
Synonyms
1,2-e thanediol
Uses
0 Antifreeze in cooling and heating systems, industrial humectant,
ingredient of electrolytic condensers, solvent in paint and plastic
industries and in the formulation of ink.
Properties (Verschueren, 1977; Windholz, 1983)
Chemical Formula C2H6°2
Molecular Weight 62.1
Physical State colorless liquid
Boiling Point 197.6°C
Melting Point -12.6°C
Density
Vapor Pressure 0.05 mm (20°C)
Specific Gravity 1.113 (20°C)
Water Solubility completely miscible
Log Octanol/Water Partition
Coefficient
Taste Threshold
Odor Threshold
Conversion Factor
Occurrence
In 1983, 4.5 billion pounds of ethylene glycol were produced (U.S.
ITC, 1984). The majority of ethylene glycoL is used consumptively
(CEH, 1983).
Releases of ethylene glycol to the environment can occur during pro-
uction, use and release. The major source of release is from the
disposal of used antifreeze. Releases of ethylene glycol occur
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-3-
largely to water and land during disposal; releases to the atmosphere
are limited by ethlyene glycol's low vapor pressure. Releases of
ethylene glycol to the environment are dispersed widely.
Ethylene glycol in the environment rapidly partitions to water due to
its solubility and low vapor pressure. Releases to surface water are
biodegraded rapidly. Releases of ethylene glycol to land have
resulted in the contamination of ground water (U.S. EPA, 1980).
Based upon its physical properties, ethylene glycol is not expected to
bioaccumulate.
There is little information on the presence of ethylene glycol in
water, food and air. Because of its rapid degradation in the environ-
ment, ethylene glycol is not expected to be a common contaminant in
air, food or surface water; however, contamination of ground water is
possible. A more likely source of ethylene glycol exposure is the
inadvertant contamination of drinking water from the misuse of
antifreeze.
III. PHARMACOKINSTICS
Absorption
0 Ethylene glycol is absorbed rapidly after ingestion. Reif (1950),
on three separate occasions, drank pure ethylene glycol in 100 ml of
water. Amounts consumed were 5.5, 11.0 and 13.2 g, which would corre-
spond to 78.5, 157 and 188.6 mg/kg, respectively, assuming a body
weight of 70 kg for an adult. Ethylene glycol was recovered in the
urine at 24 to 31% of the administered dose within 24 to 43 hours.
Oxalic acid concentrations in the urine were higher than normal with
a peak on the fourth day.
Metabolism
0 Gessner et al. (1961) studied the fate of ethylene glycol in Chinchilla
rabbits, albino rats, guinea pigs and cats. Doses up to 10.0 g/kg of
ethylene glycol ( 02) were given orally or subcutaneously, but most
of the data were derived from animals receiving 0.1 to 2.0 g/kg (100
to 2000 mg/kg). At low doses (0.124 g/kg), rabbits exhaled about 60%
of the dose as CC>2 and excreted 20% of i t in the urine in a time
period of 80 to 100 hours; 50% of the dose was exhaled as COi in the
first 18 hours after dosing. In one set of experiments with rabbits,
urine contained ethylene glycol (10.3%), oxalic acid (0.01%) and urea
(0.65%). Nearly one-half of the radioactivity was eliminated in the
urine when the dose was increased to 2.5 to 5.0 g/kg. The increase
in the radioactivity in the urine was attributed by the authors to
unmetabolized ethylene glycol.
0 In an in vitro experiment utilizing rat liver slices, Gessner et al.
(1961) identified the intermediate metabolites of ethylene glycol
( ^C) as glycoaldehyde and glyoxylic acid.
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-4-
IV. HEALTH EFFECTS
Humans
A controlled study of human exposure to ethylene glycol was reported
by Reif (1950). The investigator drank 5.5, 11.0 and 13.2 g of
ethylene glycol with 100 ml of water on separate occasions and
collected his urine for about 14 days after each trial to quantify
ethylene glycol and oxalic acid levels. Assuming a body weight of 70
kg, doses consumed would be 78.5, 157.0 and 188.6 mg/kg. Reif found
that 24 to 31% of the ethylene glycol was excreted in the urine in an
unchanged form within 24 to 36 hours, while urinary oxalic acid
levels were elevated for 8 to 12 days. No oxalate crystals were
found in the urine, and he reported no impairment of health from
these doses.
Ethylene glycol ingestion by humans results in a variety of CMS/
behavioral effects including numbness, visual disturbances, light-
headedness, headache and lethargy (Herman et al., 1957), with doses
estimated at 1,000 mg/kg. After ingesting a dose of approximately
3,000 mg/kg, patients exhibited ataxia, somnolence and slurred speech,
followed by disorientation with a mental status alternating between
stupor and agitation (Parry and Wallach, 1974). At doses which were
eventually fatal, coma developed after a period of restlessness,
delerium, convulsive seizures and a loss of reflexes (Pons and Custer,
1946). These same symptoms of ataxia, incoordination, somnolence,
coma and eventual death have been reported in dogs (Nunamaker et al.,
1971 ).
Animals
Short-term Exposure
An extensive series of dose-mortality trials were conducted by L,aug
et al. (1939) for several species of laboratory animals* Mice, rats
and guinea pigs were tested by administering single doses of ethylene
glycol by stomach tubes. Calculated LDso values were: mice, 13.1
ml/kg (14,253 mg/kg); rats, 5.5 ml/kg (5,984 mg/kg); guinea pigs,
7.35 ml/kg (7,997 mg/kg). It was noted that the animals showed signs
of weakness and lack of motor coordination shortly after receiving
doses of ethylene glycol. Prostration and coma were later symptoms,
followed by death in 18 hours to 6 days. Congestion of the lungs,
bladders filled with protein rich urine, hydropic degeneration of the
cells lining the cortical convoluted tubules, and focal necrosis of
the liver were nearly always found.
NIOSH (1983-84) lists the following oral LD^g data for ethylene glycol:
rat (4,700 mg/kg), mouse (7,500 mg/kg), guinea pig (6,610 rug/kg).
Long-term Exposure
In a study by Blood et al. (1962) ethylene glycol was fed to two male
rhesus monkeys and one female Rhesus monkey for three years. Ethyleno
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-5-
glycol was incorporated in the monkey chow and made available to the
animals on an ad lib basis. The animals consumed 200 to 250 g of
chow/day. From the given body weights of 15.45 and 7.25 kg for the
males and 7.4 kg for the female, the amount of ethylene glycol consumed
would range from approximately 25 to 69 mg/kg/day for males and 135
to 170 mg/kg/day for females. Prior to the start of the experiment,
and at quarterly intervals, the animals were x-rayed to detect the
possible appearance of calcification of the urinary tract. At the
time of sacrifice all abdominal and endocrine organs, as well as a
bone marrow sample, were examined histopathologically. No abnormal
calcium deposits were demonstrated by x-ray; microscopic examinations
of tissues were unremarkable. The authors concluded that this species
was capable of handling the administered ethylene glycol without any
discernible toxic effects.
In a study by Blood (1965), ethylene glycol was fed to groups of 16
male and 16 female Sprague-Dawley rats for 2 years at concentrations
of 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1 or 4% by weight in the diet (corresponds to
approximately 0, 50, 100, 250, 500 or 2,000 mg/kg/day (Lehman, 1959)).
Increased mortality appeared in males receiving the 1 and 4% diets.
Calcification of the kidneys and oxalate-containing calculi were
observed in males at doses of 0.5% and greater. Females were similarly
affected at the 1% level and greater for calcification and at the 4%
level for calculi. Increased water consumption and protein in the
urine was evident in males at both 1 and 4% and in females at 4% diet
levels. A probable NOAEL of 0.2% was determined (approximately 100
mg/kg/day) and a LOAEL of 0.5% (approximately 250 mg/kg/day).
A recently completed toxicity study in groups of 130 Fischer 344 rats
per sex per level fed ethylene glycol at dosages of approximately
1.0, 0.2, 0.04 or 0.0 g/kg/day for up to 2 years (DePass at al.,
1986a) identified a NOAEL of 0.04 g/kg/day (40 mg/kg/day). The
mortality rate was increased in the high-dosed males with all dead by
475 days into the study. Oxalate neohrcsis was the primary cause of
death. Other effects noted in the high-dosed males only included:
reduced body weight gain, increased water intake, increased 3'JtI and
creatinine, reduced RBCs, hematocrit and hemoglobin, increased
neutrophil count, increased urine volume and reduced urinary specific
gravity and pH. Additionally, all high-dosed rats had increased
kidney weights and urinary calcium oxalate crystals. High-dosed
females also showed the presence of uric acid crystals in the urine.
Histopathological changes in the high-dosed males included tubular
cell hyperplasia, tubular dilation and peritubular nephritis. At the
next lower dose, 0.2 g/kg/day, an increase in incidence and anoant of
calcium oxalate crystals was evident in both sexes. It is apparent
in this study that the male rat is more sensitive to the effects of
ethylene glycol.
These same authors treated 80 CD-1 mice per sex per level to the
same concentrations of ethylene glycol in the diet and' found no
clinical or histopathological evidence of toxicity attributable to
its intake.
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-6-
Reproductive Effects
0 Timed-pregnant CD rats were dosed by gavage on days 6 through 15 of
gestation with ethylene glycol at 0, 1,250, 2,500 or 5,000 mg/kg/day
(Price et al., 1985). No maternal deaths or distinctive clinical
signs were noted. Significant decreases in maternal weight were dose-
related in rats at all levels. Other significant changes included
reduced gravid uterus weight, corrected gestational weight gain
and reduced fetal body weight per litter at the mid and high doses
and increases in post-implantation losses per litter, significant
only at the high dose. This study established a LOAEL of 1,250
ing/kg/day for maternal effects and a NOAEL of 1,250 mg/kg/day for
fetal effects.
0 Timed-pregnant CD-1 mice were dosed by gavage on days 6 through 15 of
gestation with ethylene glycol at 0, 750, 1,500 or 3,000 mg/kg/day
(Price et al., 1935). No maternal deaths or distinctive clinical
signs were noted. Significant decreases in maternal weight, gravid
uterus weight and corrected gestational weight gain were evident at
the mid and high doses. Fetal body weight per litter was also signifi-
cantly reduced at all doses. This study established a NOAEL of 750
mg/kg/day for maternal effects and a LOAEL of 750 mg/kg/day for fetal
effects.
0 In a continuous breeding study, Lamb et al. (1985) dosed CD-1 nice
with ethylene glycol by continuous administration in drinking water
at 0.0, 0.25, 0.5 or 1%. Slight but statistically significant
decreases were found in the numbers of litters per fertile pair
(p <0.01), live pups per litter (p <0.05) and mean live pup weight
(p <0.01) at the 1% level when compared to Fg controls. No clinical
signs of toxicity or significant adverse effects on body weight or
water consumption were seen in this study but two deaths at the 0.5%
level may have been related to oxalate crystal deposition. This
study established a NOAEL for reproductive effects of 0,5% (w/'v) in
drinking water. (Between days 98 and 105 on the study, this level
corresponded to an average daily intake of 0.84 g/kg.)
0 In a three-generation reproduction study, DePass et al. (1986b) fed
ethylene glycol to Fischer 344 rats at levels of approximately 1.0,
0.2, 0.04 or 0.0 g/kg/day. No evidence of reduced fertility or
increased fetal death was observed in any groups receiving the test
diet. This study established a NOAEL for maternal and fetal effects
at 1,000 mg/kg/day (highest dose tested).
Developmental Effects
0 Lamb et al. (1985), in a continuous breeding study using CD-I mice,
administered ethylene glycol on a continuous basis for 126 days at
levels of 0.0, 0.25, 0.5 or 1% in drinking water. The final offspring
of these continuously bred mice were examined and the authors noted
facial anomalies in a number of the offspring of the high-dosed mice.
Examination for skeletal defects demonstrated a pattern including
reduction in size of the bones in the skull, fused ribs and abnormally
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-7-
shaped sternabrae and vertebrae. No similar findings were noted at
the two lower dose levels. This study established a NOAEL of 0.5%
(w/v) in drinking water for developmental effects in mice. (Between
days 98 and 105, the average daily intake corresponded to approxi-
mately 840 mg/kg for the parental generation.)
0 Administration of ethylene glycol by gavage on days 6 through 15 of
gestation at levels of 0, 1,250, 2,500 or 5,000 mg/kg/day in rats and
0, 750, 1,500 or 3,000 mg/kg/day in mice resulted in significant
increases in the percentage of malformed live fetuses per litter
and/or the percent of litters with malformed fetuses at all dose
levels with >95% of the litters affected at the high dose for both
species. The most common malformations included craniofacial and
neural tube closure defects and axial skeletal hyperplasia in both
species (Price et al., 1985). This study established a LOAEL of
approximately 1,250 rng/kg/day in rats and 750 mg/kg/day in mice (the
lowest levels fed).
iMutagenicity
0 In a dominant lethal mutagenesis study in rats, DePass et al. (1986b)
bred at weekly intervals the F2 males (fed ethylene glycol in the
diet at 1.0, 0.2, 0.4 or 0.0 g/kg/day) from a three-generation
reproduction study to 3 consecutive lots of untreated females. No
evidence of reduced fertility or increased fetal death was observed
in any of the groups receiving ethylene glycol. This study established
a NOAEL for mutagenic effects at 1,000 mg/kg/day (highest dose tested).
0 Ethylene glycol demonstrated no significant mutagenic activity in the
Salmonella mutagenicity (Ames) test with or without microsomal acti-
vation (Clark et al., 1979).
Carcinogenici ty
0 No evidence of an oncogenic effect of ethylene glycol in SO 70-1 mice
per sex per level or 130 Fischer 344 rats per sex per level .;as seen
when fed in the diet at approximately 1.0, 0.2, 0.04 or 0.0 g/kg/day
for 24 months. Mortality of the high-dosed male rats in this study
was 100% after 475 days of feeding. Death was attributed to oxalate
nephrosis (DePass et al., 1986a).
0 In studies designed to determine the toxic and carcinogenic potential
of several biological preservatives, ethylene glycol was administered
subcutaneously at 5 dose levels to groups of 20 weanling Fischer 344
rats (Mason et al., 1971). The LD5Q for a single injection was
5,300 mg/kg. When given subcutaneously, twice weekly for four weeks,
the maximum tolerated daily dose was found to be lower than 1,700
mg/kg (total dose of 13,600 mg/kg). In a long-term study, 4 groups
of 80, 60, 40 and 20 rats were injected subcutaneously twice weekly
for 52 weeks with 1,000, 300, 100 and 30 mg/kg, respectively. Animals
were observed for an additional six months following treatment. In
these animals, there was no evidence of ethylene glycol toxicity
based on survival time, weight gain and drug related organ pathology.
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
V. QUANTIFICATION OF TOXICOLOGICAL EFFECTS
Health Advisories (HAs) are generally determined for One-day, Ten-day,
Longer-term (approximately 7 years) and Lifetime exposures if adequate data
are available that identify a sensitive noncarcinogenic end point of toxicity.
The HAs for noncarcinogenic toxicants are derived using the following formula:
where :
HA = (NOAEL or LOAEL) x (BW) = _ mg/L ( _ ug/L)
(UF) x ( _ L/day)
NOAEL or LOAEL = No- or Lowest-Observed-Adverse-Effect-Level
in mg/kg bw/day.
BW = assumed body weight of a child (10 kg) or
an adult (70 kg) .
UF = uncertainty factor (10, 100 or 1,000), in
accordance with NAS/ODW guidelines.
_ L/day = assumed daily water consumption of a child
(1 L/day) or an adult (2 L/day).
One-day Health Advisory
Data from the study of Reif (1950) were used to identify an oral NOAEL
in humans. This investigator drank a 188.6 mg/kg dose of ethylene glycol
with no discernable effects. Thus, a One-day HA for children exposed to
ethylene glycol in drinking water may be calculated as follows:
For a child:
One-day HA = (188.6 mg /kg/day )( 1 0 kg) _ 13.86 mg/L (19,000 ug/L)
(100) (1 L/day )
where :
188.6 mg/kg/day = NOAEL in humans consuming up to this dose in water.
10 kg = assumed body weight of a child.
- 1 00 = uncertainty factor, chosen in accordance with NAS/ODW
guidelines for use with a NOAEL from a human study.
An additional factor of 10 has been added for a study
with only one subject.
1 L/day = assumed daily water consumption of a child.
Ten-day Health Advisory
There are not sufficient data to calculate a Ten-day Health Advisory.
The Longer-term HA of 5.5 mg/L for the 10 kg child can serve as a conservative
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-9-
estimate of an exposure which would be considered adequately protective over
a ten-day exposure period.
Longer-term Health Advisory
Exposure of male and female Rhesus monkeys to 55 to 170 mg/kg/day ethylene
glycol in the diet for three years caused no adverse response (Blood et al.,
1962). A Longer-term HA based on these data is calculated as follows:
For a 10-kg child:
Longer-term HA = (55 mg/kg/day) (10 kg) = 5>5 mg/L (5'500 ug/L)
where:
55 mg/kg/day = NOAEL, based on absence of toxic signs in the monkey.
10 kg = assumed body weight of a child.
100 = uncertainty factor, chosen in accordance with NAS/ODW
guidelines for use with a NOAEL from an animal study.
1 L/day = assumed daily water consumption of a child.
For a 70-kg adult:
Longer-term HA = (55 mg/kg/day) (70 kg) = 19<25 mg/L (19,250 ug/L)
(100) (2 L/day)
where:
55 mg/kg/day = NOAEL, based on absence of toxic signs in the monkey.
70 kg = assumed body weight of an adult.
100 = uncertainty factor, chosen in accordance with NAS/ODW
guidelines for use with a NOAEL from an animal study.
2 L/day = assumed daily water consumption of an adult.
Lifetime Health Advisory
The Lifetime HA represents that portion of an individual's total exposure
that is attributed to drinking water and is considered protective of noncar-
cinogenic adverse health effects over a lifetime exposure. The Lifetime HA
is derived in a three step process. Step 1 determines the Reference Dose
(RfD), formerly called the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). The RfD is an esti-
mate of a daily exposure to the human population that is likely to be without
appreciable risk of deleterious effects over a lifetime, and is derived from
the NOAEL (or LOAEL), identified from a chronic (or subchronic) study, divided
by an uncertainty factor(s). From the RfD, a Drinking Water Equivalent Level
(DWEL) can be determined (Step 2). A DWEL is a medium-specific (i.e., drinking
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-10-
water) lifetime exposure level, assuming 100% exposure from that medium, at
which adverse, noncarcinogenic health effects would not be expected to occur.
The DWEL is derived from the multiplication of the RfD by the assumed body
weight of an adult and divided by the assumed daily water consumption of an
adult. The Lifetime HA is determined in Step 3 by factoring in other sources
of exposure, the relative source contribution (RSC). The RSC from drinking
water is based on actual exposure data or, if data are not available, a
value of 20% is assumed for synthetic organic chemicals and a value of 10%
is assumed for inorganic chemicals. If the contaminant is classified as a
Group A or B carcinogen, according to the Agency's classification scheme of
carcinogenic potential (U.S. EPA, 1986), then caution should be exercised in
assessing the risks associated with lifetime exposure to this chemical.
The study of Blood (1965) is considered most appropriate for calculating
a Lifetime Health Advisory. In this study rats were fed ethylene glycol in
the diet at concentrations of 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, or 4% (approximately 0,
50, 100, 250, 500 or 2,000 mg/kg/day according to Lehman, 1959) for up to two
years. This study identified a NOAEL of 0.2% (100 mg/kg/day) primarily for
kidney effects in rats. Using this NOAEL, the Lifetime HA is calculated as
follows:
Step 1: Determination of the Reference Dose (RfD)
RfD = (100 mg/kg/day) = 1 mg/kg/day
(100)
where:
100 mg/kg/day = HOAEL for kidney effects in rats.
100 = uncertainty factor, chosen in accordance with NAS/ODW
guidelines for use with a NOAEL from an animal study»
Step 2: Determination of the Drinking Water Equivalent Level (DWEL)
DWEL = (1 mg/kg/day) (70 kg) = 35 ng/L (35(oOO ug/L)
(2 L/day)
where:
1 mg/kg/day = RfD.
70 kg = assumed body weight of an adult.
2 L/day = assumed daily water consumption of an adult.
Step 3: Determination of the Lifetime Health Advisory
Lifetime HA = (35 mg/L) (20%) = 7 mg/L (7,000 ug/L)
where:
35 mg/L = DWEL.
20% = assumed relative source contribution from water.
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-1 1-
Evaluation of Carcinogenic Potential
0 Applying the criteria described in EPA's guidelines for assessment of
carcinogenic risk (U.S. EPA, 1986), ethylene glycol may be classified
in Group D: Not classified. This category is for agents with inade-
quate animal evidence of carcinogenicity. The study by DePass et al.
(1986a) was not a definitive indicator for carcinogenicity. The
study indicated a difference in time to detection of lymphocarcinomas
in the female rat. The incidence of this tumor type was not signifi-
cantly different.
VI. OTHER CRITERIA, GUIDANCE AND STANDARDS
0 ACGIH (1984) has proposed a ceiling limit of 50 ppm ( 125 mg/m3)
for vapor and mist to minimize irritation of respiratory passages.
VII. ANALYTICAL METHODS
There is no standardized method for the determination of ethylene
glycol in drinking water samples. A procedure has been developed
(Hartman and Bowman, 1977) to determine the presence of ethylene
glycol in drugs and pharmaceutical formulations at concentration
levels of 5-200 mg/L. This procedure is based on direct aqueous
injection-gas chromatography of samples. It is probable that this
procedure also applies to drinking water samples at concentration
levels of at least 5 mg/L.
VIII. TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES
Ethylene glycol is completely miscible with water (Windholz, 1983)
and has a low vapor pressure of 1 mmHg at 53°C (CRC Handbook of
Chemistry and Physics, 1982). These two factors make it impractical
to consider aeration as a form of removal. Treatment with activated
carbon does not remove much of this compound from solution either.
The adsorbability of ethylene glycol is only 0.0136 mg/g carbon with
only 6.3% ethylene glycol retention (Veschueren, 1977). No information
was found on the removal of this compound from drinking water using
other techniques.
Ethylene glycol may contaminate drinking water due to misapplication
of the chemical as an antifreeze in potable water systems or through
crossconnections with non-potable fire protection or heating/cooling
systems. In these cases vigorous flushing of the contaminated compo-
nents of the distribution system should be sufficient.
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-12-
IX. REFERENCES
ACGIH. 1984. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists.
Documentation of the threshold limit values. 4th ed. 1980-1984 Supplement.
pp. 182-183.
Berman, L.B., G.E. Schreiner and J. Feys. 1957. The nephrotoxic lesion of
ethylene glycol. Ann. Int. Med. 46:611-619.
Blood, F.R., G.A. Elliott and M.S. Wright. 1962. Chronic toxicity of
ethylene glycol in the monkey. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 4:489-491.
Blood, F.R. 1965. Chronic toxicity of ethylene glycol in the rat.
Fd. Cosmet. Toxicol. 3:229-234.
CEH. 1983. Chemical Economics Handbook. Ethylene Glycol. 652.5030. Stanford
Research Institute, Menlo Park, California.
Clark, C.R., T.C. Marshall, B.S. Merickel, A. Sanches, D.G. Brownstein and
C.H. Hobbs. 1979. Toxicological assessment of heat transfer fluids
proposed for use in solar energy applications. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol.
51:529-535.
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. 1982. A Ready-Reference Book of
Chemical and Physical Data. 62nd Ed. Boca Raton, Florida, p. D-175.
DePass, L.R., R.H. Garman, M.D. Woodside, W.E. Giddens, R.R. Maronpot and
C.S. Weil. 1986a. Chronic toxicity and oncogenicity studies of ethylene
glycol in rats and mice. Fund. Appl. Toxicol. 7:547-565.
DePass, L.R., M.D. Woodside, R.R. Maronpot and C.S. Weil. 1986b. Three-
generation reproduction and dominant lethal mutagenesis studies of
ethylene glycol in the rat. Fund. Appl. Toxicol. 7:566-572.
Gessner, P.K., D.V. Parke and R.T. Williams. 1961. Studies in detoxication 36.
The metabolism of 14C labelled ethylene glycol. Biochem. J. 79:432-489.
Hartman, P.A., and P.B. Bowman. 1977. Simple GLC determination of ethylene
oxide and its reaction products in drugs and formulation. J. Pharm. Sci.
66:789-792.
Lamb, J.C., IV, R.R. Maronpot, D.K. Gulati, V.S. Russell, L. Homme1-Barnes
and P.S. Sabharwal. 1985. Reproductive and developmental toxicity of
ethylene glycol in the mouse. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 81:100-112.
Laug, E.P., H.O. Calvery, H.J. Morris and G. Woodward. 1939. The toxicology
of some glycols and derivatives. J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 21:173-201.
Lehman, A.J. 1959. Appraisal of the safety of chemicals in foods, drugs and
cosmetics. Association of Food and Drug Officials of the United States.
-------
Ethylene Glycol March 31, 1987
-13-
Mason, M.M., C.C. Gate and J. Baker. 1971. Toxicology and carcinogenesis
of various chemicals used in the preparation of vaccines. Clin. Toxicol.
4:185-204.
NIOSH. 1983-84. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
Registry of toxic effects of chemical substances. U.S. Dept. of Health,
Education and Welfare, Supplement, p. 904.
Nunamaker, D.M., W. Medway and P. Berg. 1971. Treatment of ethylene glycol
poisoning in the dog. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 159:310-314.
Parry, M.F., and R. Wallach. 1974. Ethylene glycol poisoning. Am. J. tied.
57:143-150.
Pons, C.A., and R.P. Custer. 1946. Acute ethylene glycol poisoning. A
clinico-pathological report of eighteen fatal cases. Am. J. Med. Sci.
211:544-552.
Price, C.J., C.A. Kimmel, R.W. Tyl and M.C. Marr. 1985. The developmental
toxicity of ethylene glycol in rats and mice. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol.
31 .-113-127.
Reif, G. 1950. Self-experiments with ethylene glycol. Pharmazie. 5:276-278,
U.S. EPA. 1980. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Damages and Threats
Caused by Hazardous Material Sites. Oil and Special Materials Control
Division. Draft, p. 43.
U.S. EPA. 1981. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Health Advisory
Document for Ethylene Glycol. Draft. Office of Drinking Water.
U.S. EPA. 1986. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Guidelines for
carcinogen risk. Federal Register. 51(185):33992-34003. September 24.
U.S. ITC. 1984. U.S. International Trade Commission. Synthetic Organic
Chemicals, United States Production and Sales, 1983. Washington, O.C.
USITC Publication 1588.
Verschueren, K. 1977. Handbook of environmental data on organic chemicals.
New York, NY: Von Nostrand Reinhold Company, p. 322.
Windholz, M., ed. 1983. The Merck Index, 10th ed. Merck and Company, Inc.,
Rahway, NJ.
------- |