Ethylene glycol (ingested) has been added to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity for purposes of Proposition 65, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced earlier this month.
The documentation supporting OEHHA’s determination that the criteria for administrative listing have been satisfied for ethylene glycol is included in the Notice of Intent to List
In summary, ethylene glycol is being listed under Proposition 65 as known to the state of California to cause reproductive toxicity, as follows:
| Chemical | CAS No. | Toxicological Endpoints | Listing Mechanism* |
| Ethylene Glycol (ingested) | 107-21-1 | Developmental toxicity | AB (NTP-CERHR) |
* Listing mechanism: AB – “authoritative bodies” mechanism (Title 27, Cal. Code of Regs., section 25306).
What is ethylene glycol?
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s PubChem, ethylene glycol is commonly used as antifreeze in cooling and heating systems, in hydraulic brake fluids, as an industrial humectant, as an ingredient of electrolytic condensers, as a solvent in the paint and plastics industries, in the formulations of printers’ inks, stamp pad inks, and inks for ballpoint pens, as a softening agent for cellophane, and in the synthesis of safety explosives, plasticizers, synthetic fibers (Terylene, Dacron), and synthetic waxes.
Ethylene glycol is also used to de-ice airport runways and aircraft.