The Worst of Glymes: EPA Via TSCA Names 14 Glymes For Review
Wednesday, July 15, 2011
It was the best of glymes, it was the worst of glymes. Actually, it was the "worst" of glymes that caught the spotlight this week. EPA announced intentions to review 14 specific chemical substances for possible restriction or regulation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Review of the 14 chemicals concerns:
- manufacturers and businesses who use the below-listed glymes
- manufacturers and businesses who plan to use them and
- downstream buyers who are purchasing and using the products containing them
Glymes have multiple uses in industry. They act as solvents that can enhance yields and reaction rates in a wide variety of reaction types. In fact the Clariant web site notes, fairly, that glymes are amongst the strongest solvents available; their high thermal and chemical stability make them "desirable in a variety of pharmaceutical production reactions." Fair enough.
EPA's concerns with glymes
With monoglyme, diglyme, and ethylglyme, EPA is concerned about the reproductive and/or developmental toxicity and believes that individuals may suffer adverse effects from their use. EPA's concerns about the remaining 11 glymes center around a lack of chemical reporting and data such as use, exposure and toxicity information.
The Actio databases have generated the following report, available for download. Save your own copy for reference. Preview is just below -- the exceptions have been highlighted in blue because they are of particular interest.
Download the full list of 14 glymes here.
Download the full list of 14 glymes here, no registration required.
Exposure to monoglyme, for instance, in lithium batteries is very limited because the batteries are sealed. The amount of exposure to diglyme in printing inks is less certain, but, EPA says, any additional use would increase the existing exposure to the chemical. Ethylglyme currently has no consumer uses but has been found in water sources, its production level appears to be increasing. Given its potential toxicity, EPA says it would be concerning if this chemical substance became prevalent in consumer products. EPA is trying to be proactive.
EPA states that the use of any of these 14 chemical substances in consumer products, beyond the limited, on-going current uses, could significantly increase the magnitude and duration of exposure to humans and the environment over that which would otherwise exist. Such increase should not occur without opportunity for EPA review.
For readers who cannot see the graphical list or cannot access the download, here is the text version.
List of chemicals with use in a consumer product as the proposed significant new use:
Ethane, 1,2-dimethoxy-
Ethane, 1,1′-oxybis[2-methoxy-
Ethane, 1,1′-oxybis[2-ethoxy-
2,5,8,11-Tetraoxadodecane
Butane, 1,1′-[oxybis(2,1-ethanediyloxy)]bis-
5,8,11,14,17-Pentaoxaheneicosane
2,5,8,11,14-Pentaoxapentadecane
Ethane, 1,2-diethoxy-
3,6,9,12,15-Pentaoxaheptadecane
3,6,9,12,15,18-Hexaoxaeicosane
Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-methyl-.omega.-methoxy-
Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-butyl-.omega.-butoxy-
List of chemicals where any use would qualify as significant new use:
5,8,11,14,17,20-Hexaoxatetracosane
5,8,11,14-Tetraoxaoctadecane
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