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2-Butoxyethanol																				Related Pages
										May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
**CAS number:** 111–76–2
**NIOSH REL:** 5 ppm (24 mg/m3) TWA [skin]
**Current OSHA PEL:** 50 ppm (240 mg/m3) TWA [skin]
**1989 OSHA PEL:** 25 ppm (120 mg/m3) TWA [skin]
**1993-1994 ACGIH TLV:** 25 ppm (121 mg/m3) TWA [skin]
**Description of Substance:** Colorless liquid with a mild, ether-like odor.
**LEL(@200 F):** 1.1% (10% LEL(@200 F), 1,100 ppm)
**Original (SCP) IDLH:** 700 ppm
**Basis for original (SCP) IDLH:** The chosen IDLH is based on the mouse 7-hour LC50 of 700 ppm [Werner et al. 1943 cited by Patty 1963, Browning 1965, and ACGIH 1971]. No other useful data are available on which to base the IDLH. The chosen IDLH is probably conservative, because Patty [1963] reported that exposure of workers for several hours to 300 to 600 ppm would probably cause respiratory and eye irritation, narcosis, and damage to the kidney and liver. Both Patty [1963] and ACGIH [1971] noted that humans appear to be more resistant to the toxic effects of 2-butoxyethanol [Carpenter et al. 1956], which further indicates that the chosen IDLH might be conservative.
**Short-term exposure guidelines:** None developed
**ACUTE TOXICITY DATA**
**Lethal concentration data:**

**Species**
    **Reference**
    **LC50** **(ppm)**
    **LCLo** **(ppm)**
    **Time**
    **Adjusted 0.5-hr** **LC (CF)**
    **Derived** **Value**Rat Mouse
    Dodd et al. 1983 Werner et al. 1943
    450 700
    ----- -----
    4 hr 7 hr
    900 ppm (2.0) 1,680 ppm (2.4)
    90 ppm 168 ppm
 **Lethal dose data:**
 
 **Species**
    **Reference**
    **Route**
    **LD50** **(mg/kg)**
    **LDLo** **(mg/kg)**
    **Adjusted LD**
    **Derived value**Mouse RatRabbitG. pigRat
    Carpenter et al. 1956 Dow 1986Dow 1986Smyth et al. 1941Smyth et al. 1941
    oral oraloraloraloral
    1,230 4703001,2001,480
    ----- --------------------
    1,754 ppm 670 ppm428 ppm1,711 ppm2,110 ppm
    175 ppm 67 ppm43 ppm171 ppm211 ppm**Other animal data:** RD50 (mouse), 2,824 ppm [Alarie 1981].
 **Human data:** It has been stated that humans would be able to tolerate saturated concentrations (i.e., about 1,000 ppm) for 1 hour without experiencing any significant nonreversible effects [Carpenter et al. 1956].
 
 **Revised IDLH:** 700 ppm [Unchanged] **Basis for revised IDLH:** Based on acute inhalation toxicity data in humans [Carpenter et al. 1956], a value of about 1,000 ppm would have been appropriate for 2-butoxyethanol. However, the original IDLH for 2-butoxyethanol (700 ppm) is not being revised at this time.
**REFERENCES:**
1. ACGIH [1971]. 2-Butoxy ethanol (butyl cellosolve). In: Documentation of the threshold limit values for substances in workroom air. 3rd ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, pp. 29-30.
2. Alarie Y [1981]. Dose-response analysis in animal studies: prediction of human responses. Environ Health Perspect *42*:9-13.
3. Browning E [1965]. Toxicity and metabolism of industrial solvents. New York, NY: Elsevier Publishing Company, p. 611.
4. Carpenter CP, Pozzani UC, Weil CS, Nair JH III, Keck GA, Smyth HF Jr [1956]. The toxicity of butyl cellosolve solvent. AMA Arch Ind Health *14*:129-131.
5. Dodd DE, Snellings WM, Maronpot RR, Ballantyne B [1983]. Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether: acute, 9-day, and 90-day vapor inhalation studies in Fischer 344 rats. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol *68*:405-414.
6. Dow [1986]. Material safety data sheet: Dowanol® EB (ethylene glycol butyl ether). Midland, MI: Dow Chemical USA, pp. 1-4.
7. Patty FA, ed. [1963]. Industrial hygiene and toxicology. 2nd rev. ed. Vol. II. Toxicology. New York, NY: Interscience Publishers, Inc., p. 1555.
8. Smyth HF Jr, Seaton J, Fischer L [1941]. The single dose toxicity of some glycols and derivatives. J Ind Hyg Toxicol *23*:259-268.
9. Werner HW, Mitchel JL, Miller JW, von Oettingen WF [1943]. The acute toxicity of vapors of several monoalkyl ethers of ethylene glycol. J Ind Hyg Toxicol *25*(19):157-163.

			
							
								Page last reviewed:  December 4, 2014						Content
							source: 	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH Publications & Products
Immediately Dangerous To Life or Health (IDLH) Values
Table of IDLH Values
Criteria for Determining IDLH Values
Historical Documentation
Original (SCP) Values
Abbreviations for IDLH Documentation
Abbreviations for Journal Titles Follow NIOSH Facebook
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