Methyl Ethyl Ketone Supplier
Methyl ethyl ketone (C4H8O or CH3CH3COCH2CH3) is a colorless, flammable liquid with a sharp odor. It can be harmful to the eyes, skin, and if inhaled or swallowed. Workers may be harmed from exposure to methyl ethyl ketone. The level of exposure depends upon the dose, duration, and work being done.
Methyl ethyl ketone is used in many industries. It is used as a solvent and in the manufacture of synthetic rubber, paraffin wax, and to make other chemical products. Some examples of workers at risk of being exposed to methyl ethyl ketone include the following:
- Workers who work in printing plants
- Employees exposed to certain paints, coatings, or glues
- Workers who work in shoe and sporting goods factories
- Manufacturing workers involved in making synthetic rubber products
NIOSH recommends that employers use Hierarchy of Controls to prevent injuries. If you work in an industry that uses methyl ethyl ketone, please read chemical labels and the accompanying Safety Data Sheets for hazard information. Visit NIOSH’s page on Managing Chemical Safety in the Workplace to learn more about controlling chemical workplace exposures.
The following resources provide information about occupational exposure to methyl ethyl ketone. Useful search terms for methyl ethyl ketone include “2-butanone,” “MEK,” “methyl acetone,” and “methyl ethyl ketone.”
Methyl ethyl ketone is used as a solvent. Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure to methyl ethyl ketone in
humans results in irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat. Limited information is available on the chronic
(long-term) effects of methyl ethyl ketone in humans. Chronic inhalation studies in animals have reported
slight neurological, liver, kidney, and respiratory effects. No information is available on the developmental,
reproductive, or carcinogenic effects of methyl ethyl ketone in humans. Developmental effects, including
decreased fetal weight and fetal malformations, have been reported in mice and rats exposed to methyl
ethyl ketone via inhalation and ingestion. EPA has classified methyl ethyl ketone as a Group D, not
classifiable as to human carcinogenicity.
Please Note: The main sources of information for this fact sheet are EPA’s Health Effects Assessment for Methyl
Ethyl Ketone (1) and EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) (6), which contains information on inhalation
chronic toxicity of methyl ethyl ketone and the RfC and oral chronic toxicity and the RfD.
Uses
The primary use of methyl ethyl ketone is as a solvent in processes involving gums, resins, cellulose
acetate, and cellulose nitrate. (1)
Methyl ethyl ketone is also used in the synthetic rubber industry, in the production of paraffin wax, and in
household products such as lacquer and varnishes, paint remover, and glues. (1)
Sources and Potential Exposure
Methyl ethyl ketone has been detected in both indoor and outdoor air. Methyl ethyl ketone can be
produced in outdoor air by the photooxidation of certain air pollutants, such as butane and other
hydrocarbons. (1)
Methyl ethyl ketone has been found in drinking water and surface water at a number of sites. (2)
Exposure to methyl ethyl ketone could also occur at the workplace and through exposure to household
products containing the chemical. (1)
Assessing Personal Exposure
Levels of methyl ethyl ketone in the urine can be measured to determine exposure to the chemical. (1)
Health Hazard Information
Acute Effects:
Acute exposure of humans to high concentrations of methyl ethyl ketone produces irritation to the eyes,
nose, and throat. (1,4)
Other effects reported from acute inhalation exposure in humans include central nervous system
depression, headache, and nausea. (1,4)
Dermatitis has been reported in humans following dermal exposure to methyl ethyl ketone. (1)
Tests involving acute exposure of rabbits has shown methyl ethyl ketone to have high acute toxicity from
Tests involving acute exposure of rabbits has shown methyl ethyl ketone to have high acute toxicity from
dermal exposure, while acute oral exposure of rats and mice has shown the chemical to
have moderate toxicity from ingestion. (5)
Acute inhalation tests in rats indicate low toxicity from methyl ethyl ketone exposure via inhalation. (5)
Chronic Effects (Noncancer):
Limited information is available on the chronic effects of methyl ethyl ketone in humans from inhalation
exposure. One study reported nerve damage in individuals who sniffed a glue thinner containing methyl
ethyl ketone and other chemicals. (1)
Slight neurological, liver, kidney, and respiratory effects have been reported in chronic inhalation studies of
methyl ethyl ketone in animals. (1)
The Reference Concentration (RfC) for methyl ethyl ketone is 1 milligram per cubic meter (mg/m
3
) based on
decreased fetal birth weight in mice. The RfC is an estimate (with uncertainty spanning perhaps an order of
magnitude) of a continuous inhalation exposure to the human population (including sensitive subgroups)
that is likely to be without appreciable risk of deleterious noncancer effects during a lifetime. It is not a
direct estimator of risk but rather a reference point to gauge the potential effects. At exposures
increasingly greater than the RfC, the potential for adverse health effects increases. Lifetime exposure
above the RfC does not imply that an adverse health effect would necessarily occur. (6)
EPA has medium confidence in the principal study on which the RfC is based because it is well designed and
tested several exposure concentrations and several endpoints of toxicity although there are insufficient data
presented for possible respiratory effects; low confidence in the database because there are no
multigenerational studies and only one subchronic study and portal-of-entry effects are not adequately
addressed; and, consequently, confidence in the RfC is low. (6)
The Reference Dose (RfD) for methyl ethyl ketone is 0.6 milligrams per kilogram body weight per day
(mg/kg/d) based on decreased fetal birth weight in rats. (6)
EPA has low confidence in the study on which the RfD is based because lowering the high-dose group from
3.0 to 2.0% confounded determination of the critical effect; low confidence in the database because of the
lack of oral data for MEK itself, the absence of data in a second species, and the lack of long-term
metabolism data; and, consequently, low confidence in the
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