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Priority Substances List Assessment Report for 2-Ethoxyethanol

Synopsis

2-Ethoxyethanol is not commercially produced in Canada. It is imported for use mainly as a component of formulated products. All environmental releases are reported to be to the atmosphere. Some 2-ethoxyethanol is also sent to landfills and other waste disposal sites.

2-Ethoxyethanol reacts with hydroxyl radicals in the air with a half-life of about 0.2-4 days. Much of the 2-ethoxyethanol released to the atmosphere is predicted to remain in air, but a substantial proportion would partition to water and to soil. 2-Ethoxyethanol is biodegraded in surface water and aerobic soil with an estimated half-life of 1-4 weeks. It is somewhat more persistent under anaerobic conditions. 2-Ethoxyethanol has a very low octanol/water partition coefficient and is therefore not expected to bioaccumulate to any significant degree. There are very few available data on concentrations of 2-ethoxyethanol in the environment in Canada or elsewhere.

Data on toxicity exist for aquatic organisms, including microorganisms, invertebrates and fish. 2-Ethoxyethanol is not very toxic to these organisms; in a number of studies, the LC₅₀ was above the highest concentration tested.

Exposure values for air were based on limited Canadian monitoring data. Because of the paucity of environmental monitoring data, exposure values for soil and water were estimated based on fugacity modelling. Estimated environmental concentrations of 2-ethoxyethanol are several orders of magnitude lower than the adverse effects thresholds calculated for sensitive organisms.

2-Ethoxyethanol is not involved in stratospheric ozone depletion and is not an important contributor to climate change or ground-level ozone formation.

2-Ethoxyethanol has consistently induced hematological, reproductive (effects on testes and sperm parameters) and developmental effects in multiple species of experimental animals exposed by various routes. In addition, there is some limited evidence of effects on the blood and reduced sperm production in occupationally exposed human populations. Although monitoring data are very limited, the margins between upper-bounding estimates of exposure to 2-ethoxyethanol in the general environment and conservative effect levels for critical effects are large. Limited available data do not indicate that 2-ethoxyethanol is commonly present in consumer products in Canada. However, upper-bounding estimates of exposure to 2-ethoxyethanol based on uncertain data on composition of some consumer products which may contain the substance may approach or exceed these conservative effect levels, although the degree of confidence in these estimates of exposure is considered to be extremely low.

Based on these considerations, it is concluded that 2-ethoxyethanol is not entering the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that have or may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity or that constitute or may constitute a danger to the environment on which life depends. Based on comparison of upper-bounding estimates of exposure in the general environment with conservative effect levels, it is concluded that 2-ethoxyethanol is not entering the general environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health. Therefore, 2-ethoxyethanol is not considered to be "toxic" as defined in Section 64 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA, 1999).

Although 2-ethoxyethanol was not detected in emissions from a range of consumer products in Canada, acquisition of additional more representative information on its use in consumer products in Canada is desirable.