Toxicity Profile for Ethyl tert-butyl ether (2000)

Abstract

Ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) was irritating to the rabbit eye, and to the skin of rabbits, rats and guinea pigs. Inhalation of the vapour by volunteers caused respiratory tract discomfort. Acute toxicity was low in rats treated orally or by inhalation and in rabbits treated dermally. Repeated exposure to the vapour affected the liver and nervous system of mice, while rats showed effects on the kidney (which were restricted to males), bone marrow and testes. Repeated dermal studies in rats identified no specific site of systemic toxicity. ETBE did not cause chromosome damage in the bone marrow cells of mice exposed to the vapour, nor did it induce mutations or chromosome damage in hamster cells in culture. An Ames bacterial assay gave no evidence of mutagenic potential.