Schuler, RL; Hardin, BD; Niemeier, RW; Booth, G; Hazelden, K; Piccirillo, V; Smith, K
Fifteen glycol ethers were investigated for their potential to cause adverse
reproductive toxic effects using an in vivo mouse, screening bioassay.
Pregnant mice were orally dosed once per day on days 7 through 14 of gestation
at concentrations causing 0 to 41 percent maternal mortality. Reproductive
endpoints includeo pup survival ~ utero (percent of live litters/pregnant
survivors), pup perinatal and postnatal survival (number of live pups per
litter, number of aead pups per litter, and pup survival to 2.5 days of age),
ana pup body weight statistics (weight at birth and weight at 2.5 days of age).
The stuoy was conducted in two phases: a oose range-finoing phase using
non-pregnant female mice, ana a definitive reproductive phase using time-mated
mice. The range-finding phase sought to identify, for each chemical, the
maternal L010 as the target dose. However, based upon reproductive phase
results, such an exact dose was impractical to achieve. Thus, a range from
the LOS to the LD20 was considered a sufficient challenge dose that would
not affect results due to high mortality, i.e., greater than the LD20 •
Glycol ethers were assigned to groups having different priorities for further
testing based ~pon whether a sufficient challenge dose was administered and
the aegree of effects recorded for each chemical. These groups and chemicals
are: a) very high priority--triethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TriEGdiME); b)
high priority--ethylene glycol (EG), ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME),
ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (EGEE), ethylene glycol diethyl ether
(EGdiEE), and diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (OiEGME); c) middle to high
priority--ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (EGdiME) and diethylene glycol
dimethyi ether (DiEGdiME); d) middle priority--ethylene glycol monobutyl ether
(EG8E), diethylene glycol (OiEG), diethylene glycol diethyl ether (OiEGdiEE)
ana triethylene glycol (TriEG); e) low priority--
aiethylene glycol monoethyl ether (OiEGEE) and diethylene glycol dibutyl ether
(OiEGdi8E). Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (OiEGBE) was not aaministered
at a sufficient challenge dose and should be repeated.
NIOSH does not regard these results as appropriate for labeling a compound as
safe or unsafe. Instead th~y are suggestive, when considered along with other
information on each chemical, of the urgency with which these chemicals should
be considered for more detailed conventional testing.
