Inhalation Exposure
Data on the tissue distribution of ethylene glycol in humans exposed via inhalation are not available. Based on plasma concentrations of ethylene glycol in two volunteers who inhaled doses of 0.96 and
1.51 mg/kg, Carstens et al. (2003) estimated the volumes of distribution (Vd) to be 0.78 and 0.91 L/kg. A similar result was obtained from another volunteer who inhaled ethylene glycol vapors (Upadhyay et al. 2008).
In rats inhaling 14C-ethylene glycol vapor (32 mg/m3 for 30 minutes) or aerosol (184 mg/mg3 for
17 minutes), radioactivity was distributed quickly (Marshall and Cheng 1983). The authors estimated that 60% of ethylene glycol (in either form) was deposited in the respiratory tract, primarily in the nasal cavity, and 75–80% of the initial body burden was distributed throughout the body upon sacrifice immediately after exposure (Marshall and Cheng 1983)