ATSDR clinician brief : Ethylene oxide

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  United States. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. ; SRC, Inc.
• Description:
  Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a colorless and flammable gas with a sweet, fruity odor at room temperature. It dissolves in water, alcohol, and most water-miscible organic solvents. It has an estimated half-life in air ranging from 69-149 days, while its half-life in water ranges from 12 to 14 days in sterile, deionized, and natural river water. Increased salinity decreases the half-life of ethylene oxide (ATSDR 2020, EPA 2018).
  
  Ethylene oxide is mostly used to produce other chemicals such as ethylene glycol (antifreeze). A small percentage of ethylene oxide is used in the sterilization or fumigation of certain equipment (about 50% of all sterile medical devices), cosmetics, and food (ATSDR 2020, EPA 2018, NTP 2021). Ethylene oxide is highly effective as a sterilant gas where it can penetrate packaging (such as cardboard, shrink wrap, paper, and other wrappings) and destroy bacteria and viruses (ATSDR 2020).
  
  CS332432-A
  
  Publication date from document properties.
  
  Clinician-Brief-Ethylene-Oxide-508.pdf
  
  
• Subjects:
  Ethylene Oxide/toxicity
• Document Type:
  Pamphlet (or booklet)
• Pages in Document:
  9 numbered pages
• Collection(s):
  Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:b18ad6b08525c6aec669fe8b8a4c60a8ebbcf40678c450ab50e914aface06043
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/124644/cdc_124644_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 281.86 KB ]