Veulemans H, Groeseneken D, Masschelein R, van Vlem E
Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1987 Aug;48(8):671-6. doi: 10.1080/15298668791385390.
From 1983 onward, 2654 air samples from 336 different plants from the northern part of Belgium were analyzed for the presence of ethylene glycol ethers. One or more ethylene glycol ethers were detected in 262 air samples (9.9%) covering 78 plants or small establishments (23.2%) from a wide variety of industries. Ethylene glycol ethers were mainly present in establishments or operations where printing pastes, inks, paints and varnishes were used. About one third of the air samples covered various other industries. Car repair shops took a major part of this group. It was not always clear, however, in what precise operation the glycol ethers were involved. The ethylene glycol ethers most frequently identified were ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (EGEE) and its acetate (EGEE-Ac). Furthermore, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME), its acetate (EGME-Ac), and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EGBE) also were present in a large number of air samples. The glycol ethers were not distributed equally among the various groups of operations. Most exposure levels were far below the respective Threshold Limit Value (TLVs) (approximately less than 0.5 x TLV). About 25% of ethylene glycol concentrations, however, were higher than the current TLV. Most of the excursions were slight to moderate, although in selected cases extremely high concentrations were recorded. The majority of air samples revealed complex mixtures of ethylene glycol ethers with other solvents, the glycol ethers often being minor components. The possible implication of these other solvents on glycol ether toxicity and metabolism is discussed.
从1983年起，对来自比利时北部336家不同工厂的2654份空气样本进行了乙二醇醚含量分析。在262份空气样本（9.9%）中检测到一种或多种乙二醇醚，这些样本来自78家工厂或小型企业（23.2%），涉及广泛的行业。乙二醇醚主要存在于使用印花浆料、油墨、油漆和清漆的企业或作业场所。约三分之一的空气样本涵盖了各种其他行业。汽车修理店在这一组中占主要部分。然而，乙二醇醚具体参与何种精确作业并不总是清楚。最常鉴定出的乙二醇醚是乙二醇单乙醚（EGEE）及其乙酸酯（EGEE-Ac）。此外，乙二醇单甲醚（EGME）、其乙酸酯（EGME-Ac）和乙二醇单丁醚（EGBE）也存在于大量空气样本中。乙二醇醚在不同作业组中的分布并不均匀。大多数暴露水平远低于各自的阈限值（TLV）（约低于0.5×TLV）。然而，约25%的乙二醇浓度高于当前的TLV。大多数超标情况为轻度至中度，不过在某些特定情况下记录到了极高的浓度。大多数空气样本显示乙二醇醚与其他溶剂形成复杂混合物，乙二醇醚往往是次要成分。文中讨论了这些其他溶剂对乙二醇醚毒性和代谢的可能影响。
