Ethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether Acetate

In 1994, the MAK value for ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate was established at 5 ml/m3 by analogy to the MAK value for ethylene glycol monoethyl ether. Since the MAK value for ethylene glycol monoethyl ether was re-evaluated in 2007, a review of the MAK value for ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate has also become necessary. In humans, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate is deacetylated to ethylene glycol monoethyl ether with a half-life of 8 to 11 minutes (see documentation “2Ethoxyethanol, 2-Ethoxyethyl acetate” 1998, a translation of the 1994 German) and metabolized further to form the critical metabolite ethoxyacetic acid, which accumulates in the human body and is considered to be responsible for the haematotoxicity and reproductive toxicity. The profile of ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate is similar to that of ethylene glycol monoethyl ether; only the irritation potential to the skin and eyes is somewhat lower. It is therefore justified to assess the data of ethylene glycol monoethyl ether and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate together. For this reason, the data for ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate were documented together with those for ethylene glycol monoethyl ether in the supplement “ethylene glycol monoethyl ether” (documentation “Ethylene glycol monoethyl ether” 2008).