Occupational exposure to glycol ethers and ovarian function

The simultaneously hydrophilic and lipophilic properties of glycol ethers account for their use as solvents in a wide range of industrial and domestic products, including paints, varnishes, cleaning agents, and cosmetics. These dozens of compounds are grouped into two main classes: ethylene glycol ethers (EGEs) and propylene glycol ethers (PGEs). Because animal experiments show several EGEs to have high potential for toxicity, especially for testicular function, there has been a shift since 1990 in European countries towards replacing short chain EGEs with PGEs. In various sectors, however, including the semiconductor industry, several short chain EGEs are still in use.¹

Short chain EGEs, more specifically, ethylene glycol methyl ether (EGME), ethylene glycol ethyl ether (EGEE), and their acetates, were first shown to affect testicular function, and more precisely, spermatocytes in the pachytene stage, dose dependently in all species tested, resulting in reduced fertility.² Several other EGEs have also shown testicular toxicity, although at higher doses. Epidemiological investigations have examined sperm quality …