Ethylene Glycol (Quality Control) Order, 2022

Key updates-

• The order came a day after Uzbekistan alleged 18 child deaths in Samarkand from consumption of a medicinal syrup manufactured by an Indian drugmaker.
• Marion Biotech, the drug company in question, is based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The syrup it manufactured contained ethylene glycol.
• Under ‘Conformity to standards and compulsory use of standard mark’, the order stated:
• Specific goods or articles shall conform to the corresponding Indian Standard given in column (2) bearing the title of the Indian Standard in column (3) of the said Table and shall bear the Standard Mark under a licence from the Bureau of Indian Standards as per Scheme-I of Schedule-II of the Bureau of Indian Standards (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018.
• The order stated under ‘Certification and enforcement authority’: “In respect of specific goods or articles, the Bureau of Indian Standards shall be the certifying and enforcing authority.”
• Under ‘Penalty for contravention’, it stated that “any person who contravenes the provisions of this Order shall be punishable under the provisions of the said Act.”
• This Order shall apply to any amendment made by the Bureau of Indian Standards to the Indian Standard specified in column (2) of the said Table with effect from the date notified by the Bureau of Indian Standards on this behalf.

What is ethylene glycol?

• It is an organic compound with the formula (CH₂OH)₂.  The sweet-tasting ethylene glycol is a syrupy or viscous liquid at room temperature.
• Ethylene glycol is a useful industrial compound found in many consumer products. 
• Examples include antifreeze, hydraulic brake fluids, some stamp pad inks, ballpoint pens, solvents, paints, plastics, films, and cosmetics. 
• It can also be a pharmaceutical vehicle.
• It is also used as a raw material in the manufacture of polyester fibers and for antifreeze formulations. It is an odorless, colorless, flammable, viscous liquid.