Environ Health Toxicol.  2019 Jun;34(2):e2019004. 10.5620/eht.e2019004.

Eye irritation tests of polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG) and chloromethylisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (CMIT/MIT) using a tissue model of reconstructed human cornea-like epithelium

• Park J
• Lee H
• Park K

• KMID: 2470816
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2019004

Abstract

Disinfectants including polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG) and mixtures of chloromethylisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (CMIT/MIT) have been widely used in Korea to prevent microbial growth in the humidifier water, which triggered an outbreak of serious respiratory diseases. In addition to the respiratory syndrome, disease-related symptoms including liver toxicity, asthma, and skin allergies were also found after extensive survey of people exposed to the humidifier disinfectants (HDs). In this study, eye irritation tests were performed based on the Organization for economic co-operation and development (OECD) test guidelines 492 using EpiOcularâ„¢ which is a tissue model of reconstructed human cornea-like epithelium. As results, the raw materials of PHMG (26% as active ingredient) and CMIT/MIT (1.5% as active ingredient) were classified under UN globally harmonized system of classification and labeling of chemical (GHS) category 1 or category 2. However, aqueous dilutions of raw materials such as market products of HDs that contain 0.13% of PHMG and 0.03% of CMIT/MIT or further dilutions of the market products for humidifier that contain 0.0013% of PHMG and 0.0003% of CMIT/MIT were classified under any category, which suggested absence of eye irritation at the test concentration.

Keyword

eye irritation; polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate; chloromethylisothiazolinone; methylisothiazolinone; EpiOcularâ„¢

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Classification
Disinfectants
Epithelium*
Guanidine*
Humans*
Humidifiers
Hypersensitivity
Korea
Liver
Skin
United Nations
Water
Disinfectants
Guanidine
Water