Ethyl tert-butyl ether

Fires involving this material can be controlled with a dry chemical, carbon dioxide or Halon extinguisher. (NTP, 1992)

Use powder, alcohol-resistant foam, water in large amounts, carbon dioxide. In case of fire: keep drums, etc., cool by spraying with water.

Fresh air, rest. Seek medical attention if you feel unwell.

First rinse with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes, then remove contaminated clothes and rinse again.

Rinse with plenty of water (remove contact lenses if easily possible).

Rinse mouth. Do NOT induce vomiting. Refer immediately for medical attention.

EYES: First check the victim for contact lenses and remove if present. Flush victim's eyes with water or normal saline solution for 20 to 30 minutes while simultaneously calling a hospital or poison control center. Do not put any ointments, oils, or medication in the victim's eyes without specific instructions from a physician. IMMEDIATELY transport the victim after flushing eyes to a hospital even if no symptoms (such as redness or irritation) develop.；SKIN: IMMEDIATELY flood affected skin with water while removing and isolating all contaminated clothing. Gently wash all affected skin areas thoroughly with soap and water. If symptoms such as redness or irritation develop, IMMEDIATELY call a physician and be prepared to transport the victim to a hospital for treatment.；INHALATION: IMMEDIATELY leave the contaminated area; take deep breaths of fresh air. If symptoms (such as wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, or burning in the mouth, throat, or chest) develop, call a physician and be prepared to transport the victim to a hospital. Provide proper respiratory protection to rescuers entering an unknown atmosphere. Whenever possible, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) should be used; if not available, use a level of protection greater than or equal to that advised under Protective Clothing.；INGESTION: DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. Volatile chemicals have a high risk of being aspirated into the victim's lungs during vomiting which increases the medical problems. If the victim is conscious and not convulsing, give 1 or 2 glasses of water to dilute the chemical and IMMEDIATELY call a hospital or poison control center. IMMEDIATELY transport the victim to a hospital. If the victim is convulsing or unconscious, do not give anything by mouth, ensure that the victim's airway is open and lay the victim on his/her side with the head lower than the body. DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. IMMEDIATELY transport the victim to a hospital. (NTP, 1992)

For small (incipient) fires, use media such as "alcohol" foam, dry chemical, or carbon dioxide. For large fires, apply water from as far as possible. Use very large quantities (flooding) of water applied as a mist or spray; solid streams of water may be ineffective. Cool all affected containers with flooding quantities of water. Use water spray to cool unopened containers. Wear self contained breathing apparatus for fire fighting if necessary.

Use personal protective equipment. Avoid breathing vapors, mist or gas. Ensure adequate ventilation. Remove all sources of ignition. Evacuate personnel to safe areas. Beware of vapors accumulating to form explosive concentrations. Vapors can accumulate in low areas. Environmental precautions: Prevent further leakage or spillage if safe to do so. Do not let product enter drains. Methods and materials for containment and cleaning up: Contain spillage, and then collect with non-combustible absorbent material, (e.g. sand, earth, diatomaceous earth, vermiculite) and place in container for disposal according to local / national regulations.

SMALL SPILLS AND LEAKAGE: If you spill this chemical, FIRST REMOVE ALL SOURCES OF IGNITION. Then, use absorbent paper to pick up all liquid spill material. Your contaminated clothing and absorbent paper should be sealed in a vapor-tight plastic bag for eventual disposal. Solvent wash all contaminated surfaces with 60-70% ethanol followed by washing with a soap and water solution. Do not reenter the contaminated area until the Safety Officer (or other responsible person) has verified that the area has been properly cleaned.；STORAGE PRECAUTIONS: You should keep this material in a tightly closed container under an inert atmosphere, and store it at refrigerated temperatures. STORE AWAY FROM SOURCES OF IGNITION. (NTP, 1992)

SRP: The most favorable course of action is to use an alternative chemical product with less inherent propensity for occupational harm/injury/toxicity or environmental contamination. Recycle any unused portion of the material for its approved use or return it to the manufacturer or supplier. Ultimate disposal of the chemical must consider: the material's impact on air quality; potential migration in soil or water; effects on animal and plant life; and conformance with environmental and public health regulations.

Burn in a chemical incinerator equipped with an afterburner and scrubber but exert extra care in igniting as this material is highly flammable. Observe all federal, state, and local environmental regulations. Contact a licensed professional waste disposal service to dispose of this material. Contaminated packaging: Dispose of as unused product.

Remove all ignition sources. Consult an expert! Personal protection: filter respirator for organic gases and vapours adapted to the airborne concentration of the substance. Ventilation. Collect leaking liquid in sealable containers. Absorb remaining liquid in sand or inert absorbent. Then store and dispose of according to local regulations. Do NOT wash away into sewer.

SRP: The scientific literature for the use of contact lenses by industrial workers is inconsistent. The benefits or detrimental effects of wearing contact lenses depend not only upon the substance, but also on factors including the form of the substance, characteristics and duration of the exposure, the uses of other eye protection equipment, and the hygiene of the lenses. However, there may be individual substances whose irritating or corrosive properties are such that the wearing of contact lenses would be harmful to the eye. In those specific cases, contact lenses should not be worn. In any event, the usual eye protection equipment should be worn even when contact lenses are in place.

Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Avoid inhalation of vapour or mist. Keep away from sources of ignition - No smoking. Take measures to prevent the build up of electrostatic charge.

Excerpt from ERG Guide 127 [Flammable Liquids (Water-Miscible)]:；IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE: Isolate spill or leak area for at least 50 meters (150 feet) in all directions.；LARGE SPILL: Consider initial downwind evacuation for at least 300 meters (1000 feet).；FIRE: If tank, rail tank car or highway tank is involved in a fire, ISOLATE for 800 meters (1/2 mile) in all directions; also, consider initial evacuation for 800 meters (1/2 mile) in all directions. (ERG, 2024)

TERRESTRIAL FATE: Based on a classification scheme(1), a Koc range of 9 to 160(2,3) indicates that ethyl tert-butyl ether is expected to have very high to moderate mobility in soil(SRC). Volatilization of ethyl tert-butyl ether from moist soil surfaces is expected to be an important fate process(SRC) given a Henry's Law constant of 1.64X10-3 atm-cu m/mole(4). Ethyl tert-butyl ether is expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces(SRC) based upon a vapor pressure of 124 mm Hg at 25 °C(5). No biodegradation was observed when incubated in soils with previous exposure to methyl tert-butyl ether(6), suggesting that biodegradation is not an important environmental fate process in soil(SRC).

AQUATIC FATE: Based on a classification scheme(1), a Koc range of 9 to 160(2,3) indicates that ethyl tert-butyl ether is not expected to adsorb to suspended solids and sediment(SRC). Volatilization from water surfaces is expected(4) based upon a Henry's Law constant of 1.64X10-3 atm-cu m/mole(5). Using this Henry's Law constant and an estimation method(4), volatilization half-lives for a model river and model lake are 3 hrs and 4 days, respectively(SRC). According to a classification scheme(6), an estimated BCF of 9(SRC), from an estimated log Kow of 1.92(7) and a regression-derived equation(8), suggests the potential for bioconcentration in aquatic organisms is low(SRC). Ethyl tert-butyl ether was not biodegraded using inoculums derived from a gasoline-impacted aquifer, fuel impacted river sediment, nor industrial and sewage impacted creek sediments(9), suggesting that biodegradation is not an important environmental fate process in water(SRC).

ATMOSPHERIC FATE: According to a model of gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds in the atmosphere(1), ethyl tert-butyl ether, which has a vapor pressure of 124 mm Hg at 25 °C(2), is expected to exist solely as a vapor in the ambient atmosphere. Vapor-phase ethyl tert-butyl ether is degraded in the atmosphere by reaction with photochemically-produced hydroxyl radicals(SRC); the half-life for this reaction in air is estimated to be 2 days(SRC), calculated from its rate constant of 8.84X10-12 cu cm/molecule-sec at 25 °C(3). Ethyl tert-butyl ether does not contain chromophores that absorb at wavelengths >290 nm(4), and therefore is not expected to be susceptible to direct photolysis by sunlight(SRC).

Neurotoxin - Acute solvent syndrome；Reproductive Toxin - A chemical that is toxic to the reproductive system, including defects in the progeny and injury to male or female reproductive function. Reproductive toxicity includes developmental effects. See Guidelines for Reproductive Toxicity Risk Assessment.；ACGIH Carcinogen - Not Classifiable.

Cough. Drowsiness. Unconsciousness.

Dry skin. Redness.

Redness. Pain.

Sore throat. Aspiration hazard! Further see Inhalation.

Ethyl tert-butyl ether was not detected in 249 storm water samples collected from 46 different sampling locations in North Carolina from November 1998 through October 1999. Samples were collected from urban land-use areas where fuel oxygenates might have been expected to occur(1). It is present in the gas phase at 200 and 34,600 ug/km in catalyst-equipped and non-catalyst-equipped emissions, respectively, tailpipe emissions from an in-use fleet of gasoline-powered automobiles and light-duty trucks (production year ranged from 1969 through 1994) tested in California(2).

Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (ETBE)

Hepatic

Urinary

/HUMAN EXPOSURE STUDIES/ ... Eight healthy male volunteers were exposed to ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) vapor for 2 hr at four levels (0, 5, 25, and 50 ppm) during light physical exercise. The subjects rated irritative symptoms, discomfort, and central nervous system effects in a questionnaire. Ocular (eye redness, tear film break-up time, conjunctival epithelial damage, and blinking frequency), nasal (acoustic rhinometry and analysis of inflammatory markers and cells in nasal lavage fluid), and pulmonary (peak expiratory flow, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, forced vital capacity, vital capacity, and transfer factor) measurements were performed. Significantly increased ratings of solvent smell (p = 0.001, repeated-measures ANOVA) were seen during exposures and correlated to exposure levels. Furthermore, significantly elevated ratings of discomfort in throat and airways were seen during and after 50 ppm compared to the control exposure (p = 0.02). Increased nasal swelling (p = 0.001) and blinking frequency (p = 0.01) were noted at all exposure levels, but their magnitudes were not related to exposure levels. A slightly impaired pulmonary function was seen at 25 and 50 ppm, since forced vital capacity (p = 0.02) and vital capacity (p = 0.04) differed significantly from the clean air exposure. ...

Ethyl tert-butyl ether's production and use as a gasoline additive(1) may result in its release to the environment through various waste streams(SRC). It has been suggested that ethyl tert-butyl ether may leach from silane cross-linked polyethylene plastic plumbing pipe(2).

Chemical: Propane, 2-ethoxy-2-methyl-；Specific Information Requirement: Obligations to provide information apply. You must tell us within 28 days if the circumstances of your importation or manufacture (introduction) are different to those in our assessment.

Hazard Traits - Carcinogenicity; Reproductive Toxicity；Authoritative List - CWA 303(c); IARC Carcinogens - 2B；Report - regardless of intended function of ingredient in the product

Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (amended)

Propane, 2-ethoxy-2-methyl- is listed on the EPA's Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) system. Manufacturers and importers of Propane, 2-ethoxy-2-methyl- are required to report information about their production and use of this chemical to the EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). (40 eCFR Part 711)

Status: Active Update: 21-12-2022 https://echa.europa.eu/registration-dossier/-/registered-dossier/15520

Ethyl tert-butyl ether: Does not have an individual approval but may be used as a component in a product covered by a group standard. It is not approved for use as a chemical in its own right.

Pursuant to section 8(d) of TSCA, EPA promulgated a model Health and Safety Data Reporting Rule. The section 8(d) model rule requires manufacturers, importers, and processors of listed chemical substances and mixtures to submit to EPA copies and lists of unpublished health and safety studies. Ethyl-tert-butyl ether is included on this list. Effective date: 12/28/94; Sunset date: 6/30/98.

An alternative gasoline additive to decrease carbon monoxide emissions; [ACGIH]

Gasoline additive

2023: 1,000,000,000 - <5,000,000,000 lb；2022: 2,500,000,000 - <4,000,000,000 lb；2021: 1,000,000,000 - <5,000,000,000 lb；2020: 1,000,000,000 - <5,000,000,000 lb

Propane, 2-ethoxy-2-methyl- is listed as a High Production Volume (HPV) chemical (65FR81686). Chemicals listed as HPV were produced in or imported into the U.S. in >1 million pounds in 1990 and/or 1994. The HPV list is based on the 1990 Inventory Update Rule. (IUR) (40 CFR part 710 subpart B; 51FR21438).

Production volumes for non-confidential chemicals reported under the Inventory Update Rule. [Table#7604]

Production volume for non-confidential chemicals reported under the 2006 Inventory Update Rule. Chemical: Propane, 2-ethoxy-2-methyl-. Aggregated National Production Volume: 500 million to < 1 billion pounds.

Wholesale and Retail Trade；Petrochemical Manufacturing；Petroleum Refineries；All other Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing

Propane, 2-ethoxy-2-methyl-: ACTIVE