Toxicity Profile for tert-Butyl glycidyl ether (1998)

Abstract

tert-Butyl glycidyl ether (t-BGE) irritated the skin of rabbits and guinea-pigs and the eyes of rabbits. The vapour caused eye irritation in rats, mice and rabbits. A weak skin-sensitizing effect has been reported in one out of three guinea-pig studies. The chemical was of low acute toxicity to rats by the oral and inhalation routes of exposure. On repeated inhalation exposure of rats, mice and rabbits, the vapour caused irritation of the respiratory tract, lethargy and, at high concentrations, abnormal gait and posture and some deaths. In a reproductive toxicity study, the fertility of male mice was unaffected by repeated skin applications for 8 wk prior to mating, and there was no evidence of dominant lethal mutations. t-BGE given orally to mice similarly showed no evidence of genotoxicity in tests for chromosome damage, whereas weak activity was observed in mammalian cells in culture. In bacterial assays, including the Ames test with Salmonella typhimurium, t-BGE was mutagenic both in the presence and absence of a metabolic activation fraction.