FLASH 21B

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

Potential health effects

Inhalation Harmful. Can cause severe irritation of the nose and throat. Skin Contact CORROSIVE. Contact can cause pain, redness, burns, and blistering. Permanent scarring can result. Eye Contact CORROSIVE. Contact causes severe burns with redness, swelling, pain and blurred vision. Permanent damage including blindness can result. Ingestion Harmful. Can irritate the mouth, throat and stomach. Can burn the lips, tongue, throat and stomach Carcinogenicity Not known to cause cancer.

Teratogenic Effects

/ Embryotoxicity Ethylene glycol is considered a developmental hazard based on animal evidence. In rats and mice, embryotoxic (late resorptions), fetotoxic (reduced fetal body weight) and teratogenic (external, soft tissue and skeletal defects) effects were observed at relatively high oral doses that caused no or minimal maternal toxicity. It is unlikely that humans could be exposed to high enough doses to cause developmental effects. No relevant human information was located. Methanol is reported to cause birth defects in rats exposed to 20 000 ppm. In experimental animals, methanol is fetotoxic, teratogenic and has produced significant behavioural abnormalities in offspring at dose levels not producing maternal toxic effects. Behavioural abnormalities were observed in the offspring of rats given drinking water containing 2% methanol. Methanol has produced mutagenic effects (somatic cells) in experimental animals. Reproductive Toxicity No information was located. Mutagenicity No information was located.