1. Hereditary disorders include erythrocyte membrane and enzymatic defects and hemoglobin abnormalities. Some hereditary disorders G-6-PD deficiency, hereditary spherocytosis, and sickle cell anemia.
2. Acquired hemolytic conditions can be due to immune disorders, toxic chemicals and drugs, physical damage, and infections. They can include autoimmune hemolytic anemia; microangiopathic anemia as found in disseminated intravascular coaguation, hemolytic uremic syndrome or thrombocytic throbocytopenic purpura; and red cell fragementaion by prostheic cardiac valves.

2-butoxyethanol induced hemolytic anemia falls into the acquired hemolytic category, specifically chemical induced, but not autoimmune in nature.  It is thought that it first must be metabolized to 2-butoxyacetic acid before hemolysis occurs.  With removal of the substance through the body's metabolism and elimination pathways, the hemolytic anemia ceases.  Episodes of hemolysis do not by themselves cause a predisposition to aplastic anemia.  But this is not to say that 2-butoxyethanol can by some other physical property as a solvent cause aplastic anemia.  I can not find a reference in the literature that implicates 2-butoxyethanol or 2-butoxyacetic acid as a cause for aplastic anemia.  Whether this has been researched or not, I can not say.  But certainly benzene can cause aplastic anemia.  

More information  on 2-butoxyethanol and 2-butoxyacetic acid, and their health effects, are found through the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts118.html .  

For benzene:  http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts3.html  .  

Treatment for aplastic anemia can be found at http://www.marrow.org/MEDICAL/aplastic_anemia_advanced.html

 

Date of this web page  March 21, 2003