Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) is a common and widely used industrial solvent. However, few studies have investigated its toxicity, or its effects as a contaminant in soil ecosystems. In this study, acute and chronic toxicity data for MEK were generated, and ecological risk based on a species sensitivity distribution was assessed. Seven soil organisms from six taxonomic groups were used for acute toxicity tests and five soil organisms from four taxonomic groups were used for chronic toxicity tests. Acute and chronic soil HC₅ (hazardous concentration for 5% of species) values for MEK were estimated as 53.04 and 2.593 mg MEK/kg dry soil, respectively. This is the first study to conduct battery testing for MEK; it specifies hazardous concentrations, warns of the need for accident preparedness, and points to serious potential hazards of MEK at various levels of the soil ecosystem which can translate into greater environmental damage with implications for human health. The specific sensitivity levels determined may serve as a benchmark for establishing soil standards and strategies for ecosystem protection in the face of accidental contamination.

甲基乙基酮（MEK）是一种常用且广泛使用的工业溶剂。但是，很少有研究调查其毒性或作为土壤生态系统中污染物的影响。在这项研究中，生成了MEK的急性和慢性毒性数据，并评估了基于物种敏感性分布的生态风险。来自六个分类组的七种土壤生物用于急性毒性测试，来自四个分类组的五种土壤生物用于慢性毒性测试。急性和慢性土壤HC ₅MEK（5％物种的危险浓度）的估计值分别为53.04和2.593 mg MEK / kg干燥土壤。这是针对MEK进行电池测试的第一项研究；它规定了危险浓度，警告需要做好事故准备，并指出在土壤生态系统各个层面上MEK的严重潜在危害，这些危害可能转化为对人类健康有更大影响的环境损害。所确定的特定敏感性水平可作为建立土壤标准和面对意外污染的生态系统保护策略的基准。