Document ID: EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0250-0005
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2006-03-22T05:00Z

Page
1
of
3
August
13,
2003
MEMORANDUM
Subject:
Science
Chapter
on:
Environmental
Fate
Studies
and
Environmental
Fate
Assessment
of
Triethylene
Glycol.

From:
A.
Najm
Shamim,
Ph.
D.,
Chemist
Regulatory
Management
Branch
II
Antimicrobials
Division
(
7510C)

To:
Ben
Chambliss,
Acting
Team
Leader
Regulatory
Management
Branch
II
Antimicrobials
Division
(
7510C)

Thru:
Connie
Welch,
Chief
Regulatory
Management
Branch
II
Antimicrobials
Division
(
7510C)
Page
2
of
3
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Environmental
Fate
Assessment:

Triethylene
Glycol
is
not
bioaccumlative
(
logKOW
is
­
1.75)
and
does
not
pose
any
concerns
for
aquatic
organisms.
It
does
not
hydrolyze
in
water
and
is
mobile
(
KOC
=
10)
in
soils
but
it
biodegradation
half
life
is
in
7­
11
days
in
aerobic
soils
and
is
not
likely
to
contaminate
surface
or
ground
water.
Its
estimated
half
life
in
air
is
about
11
hours
determined
from
induced
photochemical
reaction
with
hydroxy
radical
in
the
atmosphere.
Hence
it
is
not
likely
to
persist
in
the
atmosphere.

Environmental
Fate
Science
Chapter
For
Triethylene
Glycol:

Triethylene
glycol
is
an
aliphatic
trihydroxy
chemical
and
does
not
contain
any
hydrolyzable
hydrogen.
For
this
reason
the
Agency
granted
a
waiver
from
the
aquatic
hydrolysis
study.
For
the
reregistration
eligibility
decision
(
RED)
process,
however,
the
Agency
has
reviewed
readily
available
open
literature
data
conducted
the
environmental
fate
assessment
of
triethylene
glycol.

The
following
fate
properties
were
obtained
from
an
open
literature
search.
Some
of
these
properties
are
estimated,
with
the
help
of
Modeling
Programs
and
Databases:
(
Howard,
1989)
1
(
NIH)
2
and
(
USEPA)
3
1.
Vapor
Pressure:
1.32
x10­
3
mm
Hg;
2.
Henry
law
Constant
(
air/
water
partition
coefficent):
3.1
x
10­
11
atm
m3/
mole
3.
KOC
(
organic
carbon
ratio
in
soil):
10
4.
Log
KOW
(
octanol/
water
partition
coefficient):
­
1.75
5.
Does
not
Photolyze
as
it
does
not
absorb
UV
light
at
wave
length
>
290
nm
6.
In
freshwater
aerobic
samples,
Triethylene
Glycol
biodegrades
within
7­
11
days
(
River
Die­
Away
Tests).
7.
Highly
miscible
in
water
8.
Does
not
undergo
direct
air
photolysis,
but
half
life
in
air
(
estimated)
is
11
hours
due
to
induced
photochemical
reaction
of
atmospheric
hydroxyl
radical.

Triethylene
glycol
is
highly
miscible
in
water
and
does
not
hydrolyze
in
water
as
it
contains
no
hydrolyzable
hydrogen.
Because
of
a
low
Henry
Law
Constant,
it
is
not
likely
to
vaporize
from
surface
water.
The
low
KOC
(
10)
indicates
that
is
likely
to
be
highly
mobile
in
soils
but
a
Die­
Away
Test
with
aerobic
fresh
water
soil
samples
indicate
that
it
is
biodegradable
in
such
soils
with
a
half
life
between
7­
11
days.

The
low
KOW
indicates
that
it
is
not
likely
to
bioaccumulate
in
aquatic
organisms
like
fish.
Although
it
does
not
air
photolyze,
it
does
react
with
photochemically
produced
hydroxyl
radical
Page
3
of
3
and
its
half
life
in
the
vapor
state
is
about
11
hours.

Surface
Water
and
Ground
Water
Contamination:

Because
of
its
indoor
use
and
only
as
air
sanitizer,
it
is
not
likely
to
contaminate
surface
water
and
no
run
away
scenario
exists
for
such
a
use.
It
is
miscible
in
water
and
mobile
in
soils,
but
biodegrades
in
aerobic
soils;
it
not
likely
to
migrate
to
ground
water
and
contaminate
ground
water.

References
Howard,
Philip
H.
(
ed),
1989.
The
Handbook
of
Environmental
FATE
AND
EXPOSURE
DATA
For
Organic
Chemicals,
Volume
IV,
Solvents
2.
Lewis
Publishers,
pp
546
NIH,
2003.
"
NIH's
Hazard
Substances
Databank
(
HSDB),
A
Database
of
the
National
Library
of
Medicine's
TOXNET
System"
http://
www.
nih.
gov/
TOXNET
USEPA,
2003.
"
US
EPA
Estimation
of
Physical/
Chemical
Properties
Program"
Http://
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
exposure/
docs/
episuitedl.
htm