NCDENR - Division of Air Quality - Glycol Ethers Compilation



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Air Toxics Program >> HAPS & TAPS >> Glycol Ethers

As of November 29, 2004, the EPA has amended "the list of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) contained in section 112(b)(1) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) by removing the compound ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EGBE) (2-Butoxyethanol) (Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) No. 111-76-2) from the group of glycol ethers" as described in the Federal Register (FRL-7841-8).

As of August 2, 2000, EPA has redefined the Glycol Ethers category of the Clean Air Act. As described in the Federal Register (FRL-6843-3), "this action deletes each individual compound in a group called the surfactant alcohol ethoxylates and their derivatives (SAED) from the glycol ethers category in the list of hazardous air pollutants (HAP)..." [More about the new definition]

Glycol Ethers Compilation (Searchable Database)
Search by CAS number Enter either the full or partial CAS number of the compound for which you are searching. Wildcard characters (*) may also be used in the search. - -	Search by Compound Name Enter either the full or partial name of the compound for which you are searching below. Wildcard characters (*) may also be used in the search.	View the Entire list The entire glycol ethers compilation is available for viewing and / or printing if so desired. Please note that the entire list consists of over 4500 compounds and may take a while to load. Also, printing this list will consume a fair amount of paper
This compilation is by no means exhaustive, however, if there are questions about a particular compound, contact Jim Bowyer, (919) 715-7484. As new compounds are identified that meet the glycol ether definition, they will be added to the compilation.

The NEW definition is as follows:

Glycol ethers are defined in the modification to the Clean Air Act (CAA) as organic compounds with the following structure:

R-(OCH2CH2)n-OR'

Where:

n = 1, 2, or 3

R = alkyl C7 or less; or
R = phenyl or alkyl substituted phenyl;

R'= H or alkyl C7 or less; or
OR' consisting of carboxylic acid ester, sulfate, phosphate, nitrate, or sulfonate.

NOTE: The new definition of glycol ethers meets US-EPA's definition as outlined in the modifications to the 'Clean Air Act (CAA)', Section 112 (b) (3).

The new definition includes mono-and di-ethers of ethylene glycol, but does not include ethylene glycol (CAS No. 107-21-1), diethylene glycol (CAS No. 111-46-6), nor triethylene glycol (CAS No. 112-27-6) because the parts of the molecule, defined as R above, are not alkyl or aryl groups. However, ethylene glycol (CAS No. 107-21-1) is specifically listed in the "Clean Air Act (CAA)" 1990 list of pollutants. Additionally, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (CAS No. 110-80-5) is regulated as a NC toxic air pollutant (as listed in the NC Air Quality Rule 15A NCAC 2D.1100 & 2Q.700). Polymers are excluded from glycol category.

The OLD definition of glycol ethers was defined in the Clean Air Act (CAA) as organic compounds with the following structure:

R(OCH2CH2)n-OR'

Where:

n = 1, 2, or 3

R = alkyl or aryl groups

R'= alkyl or aryl groups, H, or groups, when removed, yield glycol ethers with structure: R(OCH2CH)n-OH. This also means that OR' may be carboxylic acid ester, sulfate, phosphate, nitrate or sulfonate.