Twenty-eight-day repeated-dose inhalation exposure of rats to diethylene glycol monoethyl ether

A review of the nonclinical safety of Transcutol®, a highly purified form of diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (DEGEE) used as a pharmaceutical excipient

Transcutol® (Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, DEGEE), CAS # 111-90-0, is commonly used as a vehicle in the formulation or manufacturing process of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food additives. This paper presents unpublished nonclinical safety data using a form of DEGEE which includes a significantly decreased level of impurities, specifically ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol. It also reviews the history of use, regulatory status, and previously published toxicity data for DEGEE. The review supports that DEGEE is well tolerated across animal species and gender with toxicity occurring only at levels well above those intended for human use. At high levels of exposure, the kidney is identified as the critical target organ of DEGEE toxicity. DEGEE is negative for genotoxicity in in vitro and in vivo studies. Subchronic and chronic toxicity studies produced no reports of preneoplastic changes in organs, but the animal data is insufficient to allow a definitive opinion as to carcinogenicity. In silico data suggested that DEGEE is not carcinogenic or genotoxic. Developmental toxicity was seen in rats but only at levels 200 times greater than the estimated oral Permissible Daily Exposure Level of 10 mg/kg/day. The nonclinical data along with the long history of DEGEE use as a vehicle and solvent by multiple routes provide evidence of its safety. Furthermore, the novel data discussed herein provides evidence that toxicity previously associated with high levels of DEGEE in nonclinical studies conducted prior to 1990 could possibly be attributed to the presence of significant amounts of ethylene glycol or other impurities.

Hazardous substances in frequently used professional cleaning products

Background:

A growing number of studies have identified cleaners as a group at risk for adverse health effects of the skin and the respiratory tract. Chemical substances present in cleaning products could be responsible for these effects. Currently, only limited information is available about irritant and health hazardous chemical substances found in cleaning products. We hypothesized that chemical substances present in cleaning products are known health hazardous substances that might be involved in adverse health effects of the skin and the respiratory tract.

Methods:

We performed a systematic review of cleaning products used in the Swiss cleaning sector. We surveyed Swiss professional cleaning companies (n = 1476) to identify the most used products (n = 105) for inclusion. Safety data sheets (SDSs) were reviewed and hazardous substances present in cleaning products were tabulated with current European and global harmonized system hazard labels.

Results:

Professional cleaning products are mixtures of substances (arithmetic mean 3.5±2.8), and more than 132 different chemical substances were identified in 105 products. The main groups of chemicals were fragrances, glycol ethers, surfactants, solvents; and to a lesser extent, phosphates, salts, detergents, pH-stabilizers, acids, and bases. Up to 75% of products contained irritant (Xi), 64% harmful (Xn) and 28% corrosive (C) labeled substances. Hazards for eyes (59%) and skin (50%), and hazards by ingestion (60%) were the most reported.

Conclusions:

Cleaning products potentially give rise to simultaneous exposures to different chemical substances. As professional cleaners represent a large workforce, and cleaning products are widely used, it is a major public health issue to better understand these exposures. The list of substances provided in this study contains important information for future occupational exposure assessment studies.

Proliferative and nonproliferative lesions of the rat and mouse respiratory tract

The INHAND Project (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice) is a joint initiative of the Societies of Toxicologic Pathology from Europe (ESTP), Great Britain (BSTP), Japan (JSTP) and North America (STP) to develop an internationally-accepted nomenclature for proliferative and non-proliferative lesions in laboratory animals. The purpose of this publication is to provide a standardized nomenclature for classifying microscopic lesions observed in the respiratory tract of laboratory rats and mice, with color photomicrographs illustrating examples of some lesions. The standardized nomenclature presented in this document is also available electronically on the internet (http://www.goreni.org/). Sources of material included histopathology databases from government, academia, and industrial laboratories throughout the world. Content includes spontaneous developmental and aging lesions as well as lesions induced by exposure to test materials. A widely accepted and utilized international harmonization of nomenclature for respiratory tract lesions in laboratory animals will decrease confusion among regulatory and scientific research organizations in different countries and provide a common language to increase and enrich international exchanges of information among toxicologists and pathologists.

A comparative human health risk assessment of p-dichlorobenzene-based toilet rimblock products versus fragrance/surfactant-based alternatives

A comparison of the human health risk to consumers using one of two types of toilet rimblock products, either a p-dichlorobenzene-based rimblock or two newer fragrance/surfactant-based alternatives, was conducted. Rimblock products are designed for global use by consumers worldwide and function by releasing volatile compounds into indoor air with subsequent exposure presumed to be mainly by inhalation of indoor air. Using the THERdbASE exposure model and experimentally determined emission data, indoor air concentrations and daily intake values were determined for both types of rimblock products. Modeled exposure concentrations from a representative p-dichlorobenzene rimblock product are an order of magnitude higher than those from the alternative rimblock products due to its nearly pure composition and high sublimation rate. Lifetime exposure to p-dichlorobenzene or the subset of fragrance components with available RfD values is not expected to lead to non-cancer-based adverse health effects based on the exposure concentrations estimated using the THERdbASE model. A similar comparison of cancer-based effects was not possible as insufficient data were available for the fragrance components.

Toxicity studies with pure trans-capsaicin delivered to dogs via intravenous administration

Previous toxicology and pharmacology studies have reported variable acute cardiac effects of capsaicin, primarily involving hypotension and bradycardia. However, these studies have suffered from two important limitations. First, the capsaicin tested has been derived from pepper plant extracts, which is likely to display varying degrees of purity and possibly diverse impurity profiles. Second, post-dosing follow-up was generally limited to three or fewer days. Therefore, the objective of the studies reported here was to test the cardiac and other target organ toxicity potential of pure, synthetic trans-capsaicin (the only naturally occurring stereoisomer of capsaicin) when delivered via intravenous administration to dogs either acutely or for 14 days. Taken together, results from these two studies indicate that pure trans--capsaicin--even when delivered directly into the systemic circulation at high dose levels--is rapidly eliminated, induces transient tachycardia and hypertension, does not alter the duration of cardiac action potentials, and causes only very minimal organ toxicities. The different toxicity profiles of pure trans-capsaicin reported here and chili pepper extracts previously reported suggest that the purity and source of capsaicin should be an important consideration for toxicological evaluations.