Diethylene glycol mono butyl ether concentrations in room air from application of cleaner formulations to hard surfaces.

Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DGBE) is a solvent used in some liquid hard surface cleaners. We evaluated the inhalation component of consumer exposure in the home to DGBE from the use of cleaning products containing up to 9% DGBE. Several experiments were conducted with restricted room air flow, exaggerated amounts of cleaning solutions, and no rinsing in order to develop an exposure scenario that would exceed exposures likely encountered by consumers. DGBE vapors in the air were monitored by collection on charcoal tubes, followed by desorption and quantitation by gas chromatography. Air was collected from the centre of the room and from the breathing zone of the person doing the washing task. Room air concentrations of DGBE showed peak values between one and three hours after task initiation; DGBE concentrations then gradually decreased with time. Peak concentrations did not exceed 1.6 ppmv. The total DGBE in the air at the time of maximum air concentrations accounted for only 1 to 3% of the DGBE on the washed surfaces. The person doing the washing task was exposed to average DGBE concentrations in the breathing zone below 0.8 ppmv in all experiments. The methods described for measuring DGBE concentrations in air are generally applicable to other solvents and easily adaptable to various experimental situations.