2-Diethylaminoethanol

May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)

CAS number: 100–37–8

NIOSH REL: 10 ppm (50 mg/m3) TWA [skin]

Current OSHA PEL: 10 ppm (50 mg/m3) TWA [skin]

1989 OSHA PEL: Same as current PEL

1993-1994 ACGIH TLV: 10 ppm (48 mg/m3) TWA [skin]

Description of Substance: Colorless liquid with a nauseating, ammonia-like odor.

LEL:. . Unknown

Original (SCP) IDLH: 500 ppm

Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: No useful data on acute inhalation toxicity are available on which to base the IDLH for diethylaminoethanol. The chosen IDLH is based on the following statements by Cornish [1965]: “exposure of rats to 500 ppm, 6 hours daily for 5 days, resulted in severe weight loss and high mortality. Daily exposure at 200 ppm resulted in the death of 7 of 50 rats during the first month. A single human exposure for a few seconds to a level well below 200 ppm resulted in nausea and vomiting.”

Short-term exposure guidelines: None developed

ACUTE TOXICITY DATA

Lethal concentration data:



Species


Reference
LC50

(ppm)

LCLo

(ppm)



Time
Adjusted 0.5-hr

LC (CF)

Derived

value

Rat

Mouse

Lomonova 1970

Lomonova 1970

924

1,027

-----

-----

4 hr

?

1,848 ppm (2.0)

?

185 ppm

?


Lethal dose data:


Species

Reference

Route
LD50

(mg/kg)

LDLo

(mg/kg)


Adjusted LD

Derived value
Rat Smyth and Carpenter 1944 oral 1,300 ----- 1,869 ppm 187 ppm


Human data: A very short exposure (<30 seconds) to a concentration estimated to be less than 100 ppm has resulted in nausea and vomiting within 5 minutes; other persons in the same room also complained of the nauseating odor but did not become ill [Cornish 1965].

Revised IDLH: 100 ppm

Basis for revised IDLH: The revised IDLH for 2-diethylaminoethanol is 100 ppm based on acute inhalation toxicity data in humans [Cornish 1965].

 

REFERENCES:

1. Cornish HH [1965]. Oral and inhalation toxicity of 2-diethylaminoethanol. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 26:479-484.

2. Lomonova GV [1970]. Toxicology data on dimethylethanolamine and diethylethanolamine. Gig Tr Prof Zabol 14(11):52-53 (translated).

3. Smyth HF Jr, Carpenter CP [1944]. The place of the range-finding test in the industrial toxicology laboratory. J Ind Hyg Toxicol 26:269-273.

Page last reviewed: December 4, 2014