diethylene glycol

[ dahy-eth-uh-leen glahy-kawl, ‐kol ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a syrupy colorless liquid, C 4 H 10 O 3 , used as a solvent for nitrocellulose and as a fabric softener.

diethylene glycol

/ daɪˈɛθɪˌliːn ˈɡlaɪkɒl /

noun

1. a colourless soluble, poisonous liquid used as a solvent. Formula: (C 2 H 4 OH) 2 O

Word History and Origins

Origin of diethylene glycol¹

First recorded in 1925–30; di- ¹ + ethylene

Example Sentences

Privately held Swiss drugmaker Similasan has previously been asked by the agency to meet relevant safety limits for levels of diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol, two common contaminants in some medicines, as they could lead to lethal poisoning at higher levels.

From Reuters

Since then, there have been "mass poisoning events" in several Indian states, they say, adding that the death tolls may be much higher as diethylene glycol poisoning is hard to diagnose.

From BBC

The samples of the cough syrup collected in Ramnagar and sent for testing to a lab in Chandigarh had "more than 34% diethylene glycol," Jammu and Kashmir drug controller Lotika Khajuria told the BBC.

From BBC

His parents allege his death was caused by the cough syrup - local drug control officials say that tests showed it contained high amounts of diethylene glycol, a toxic compound which could cause kidney failure and death if ingested.

From BBC

In their book, The Truth Pill, health expert Dinesh Thakur and advocate Prashant Reddy write that India's first recorded case of diethylene glycol poisoning was in 1972, when 15 children died in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

From BBC