ABSTRACT
Isopropyl ether may be released to the environment as a result of its use as an industrial solvent. If isopropyl ether is released to soil, it will be subject to volatilization. It will be expected to exhibit moderate mobility in soil and, therefore, it may leach to ground water. Direct photolysis will not be an important removal process since aliphatic ethers do not absorb light at wavelengths >290 nm. The most probable routes of general population exposure to isopropyl ether are via inhalation of contaminated air and ingestion of contaminated drinking water. If isopropyl ether is released to soil, it will be subject to volatilization based upon the reported Henry's Law constant and the vapor pressure. The half-life for volatilization of isopropyl ether from a river one meter deep flowing 1 m/sec with a wind velocity of 3 m/sec is estimated to be 3.3 hr at 20 °C based on the reported Henry's Law constant.
