Ethylene glycol monohexyl ether (
EGHE) and
diethylene glycol monohexyl ether (
DGHE) are glycol
ethers used as industrial
solvents and coating materials, and whose acute handling hazards were investigated. Acute peroral LD50 values in the rat were for
EGHE 1.67 ml/kg (males) and 0.83 ml/kg (females), and for
DGHE 4.92 ml/kg (males) and 3.73 ml/kg (females). Acute percutaneous LD50 values in the rabbit were for
EGHE 0.81 ml/kg (males) and 0.93 ml/kg (females), and for
DGHE 2.14 ml/kg (males) and 2.37 ml/kg (females). There were neither deaths nor signs of toxicity or irritancy during or following a 6-hr exposure of rats to a statically generated substantially saturated vapor atmosphere from either
EGHE or
DGHE at ambient temperature. Occluded dermal application with 0.5 ml test material for 4-hr in rabbits produced moderate
inflammation of several days duration, and half of the animals developed
necrosis; with
DGHE there was minor
erythema and
edema of about 24-hr duration. In the more demanding conditions of the acute percutaneous toxicity study (24-hr occlusions with up to 4.0 ml/kg) both
EGHE and
DGHE produced persistent
erythema,
edema,
necrosis, and
ecchymoses. Rabbit eye irritation studies showed severe effects (
conjunctivitis and
corneal injury) with both
EGHE and
DGHE. The major acute handling hazards with both
EGHE and
DGHE are by swallowing, sustained skin contact, and splash contamination of the eye.