Butoxyethanol Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
2-Butoxyethanol (CAS # 111-76-2, also known as ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol butyl ether, ethylene glycol n-butyl ether, Butyl Cellusolve, butyl glycol, and butyl Oxitol; primary solvent in the Clorox Company's popular cleaning product 409®) is a versatile solvent. Under standard conditions, it is a colorless liquid with a sweet, ether-like odor.
Uses
Butoxyethanol is a primary ingredient of various whiteboard cleaners, liquid soaps, cosmetics, dry cleaning solutions, lacquers, varnishes, herbicides, and latex paints.
It is the main ingredient of many home, commercial, and industrial cleaning solutions, including the Clorox Company's trademarked 409 cleaning product. It is manufactured by the Eastman Kodak company under catalog # EK1364579, and Kodak Laboratory Chemicals catalog # P2270.
Medical Effects
Acute exposure
People exposed to high levels of 2-butoxyethanol for several hours reported irritation of the nose and eyes, headache, a metallic taste in their mouths, and vomiting. No harmful effects were seen on their lungs or hearts. People who swallowed large amounts of cleaning agents containing 2-butoxyethanol have shown breathing problems, low blood pressure, low levels of hemoglobin (the substance in the blood that carries oxygen to organs of the body), acidic blood, and blood in the urine.
It is not known whether 2-butoxyethanol or 2-butoxyethanol acetate can affect reproduction or cause birth defects in people.
Animal studies have shown hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells that results in the release of hemoglobin) from exposure to 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyethanol acetate. High doses of 2-butoxyethanol can also cause reproductive problems and minor birth defects in animals.
Carcinogenic?
The Department of Health and Human Services, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the Environmental Protection Agency have not classified 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyethanol acetate as to their human carcinogenicity. No carcinogenicity studies on 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyethanol acetate are available in people or animals.
Recommended Exposure Limits
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set an exposure limit of 50 parts of 2-butoxyethanol per million parts of air (50 ppm) for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.
Environmental impact
Butoxyethanol usually decomposes in the environment within a few days and has not been identified as a major environmental contaminant. It is not known to build up in any plant or animal species.
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