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1627862 
Journal Article 
Review Of Glycol Ether And Glycol Ether Ester Solvents Used In The Coating Industry 
Smith, RL 
1984 
Yes 
Environmental Health Perspectives
ISSN: 0091-6765
EISSN: 1552-9924 
NIOSH/00146206 
57 
1-4 
English 
6499793 
The physical properties of propylene-oxide (75569) based products are discussed as possible replacement compounds to the widely used ethylene-oxide (75218) based products in the coatings industry. Concern about the toxicity of ethylene-oxide based products is expressed. The properties of both propylene-oxide products and ethylene-oxide products are summarized as a function of chemical structure and variability in physical properties. Solvents are generally classified according to evaporation rate, which determines where and how they can be used. N-butyl-acetate (123864) is used as the standard and is assigned an evaporation rate of 1. There are three groups of solvents: fast, medium, and slow. Examples of the fast evaporation group are acetone (67641), ethyl-acetate (71501), methyl-ethyl-ketone (78933), and isopropyl-acetate (108214). Examples of the medium evaporating group are isobutyl-acetate (110190), N-butyl-acetate (123864), methyl-isobutyl-ketone (108101), and N-propyl-acetate (109604). Examples of the slow evaporation group are methyl-n-amyl-ketone (927491), amyl-acetate (628637), and isobutyl-isobutyrate (97858). Glycol ether and glycol ether ester solvents correspond to the slow evaporation rate. There are about five propylene-oxide based glycol ethers and one ether ester commercially available. The disadvantage of using propylene-oxide based products is that it is not possible to match both solvent activity and evaporation rate of an ethylene-oxide based glycol ether. The author concludes that these two crucial parameters make it difficult to replace ethylene-oxide based solvents in the coatings industry. 
DCN-141169; Toxicology; Esters; Resins; Aliphatic compounds; Organic chemicals; Industrial exposures; Toxic effects; Industrial environment; Industrial hazards; Coatings; Toxic materials