Fate, effects and potential environmental risks of ethylene glycol: a review

The fate, effects, and potential environmental risks of ethylene glycol (EG) in the environment were examined. EG undergoes rapid biodegradation in aerobic and anaerobic environments (similar to 100%, removal of EG within 24 h to 28 days), In air, EG reacts with photo-chemically produced hydroxyl radicals with a resulting atmospheric half-life of 2 days. Acute toxicity values (LC(50)s and EC(50)s) were generally >10,000 mg/l for fish and aquatic invertebrates. The data collectively show that EG is not persistent in air, surface water, soil, or groundwater, is practically non-toxic to aquatic organisms, and does not bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms. Potential long-term, quasi-steady state regional concentrations of EG estimated with a multi-media model for air, water, soil, and sediment were all less than predicted no effect concentrations (PNECs), (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.