I checked the Dow Chemicals datasheet for Diethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether, and it says nothing to confirm the (apparently widely held) view amongst pilots and refuelers that this is a deadly neuro-toxin similar to Sarin.
Just to be clear - this stuff is not made to be eaten. Neither is Jet A1, the aircraft itself, or your uniform.
The data sheet says the following about handling it: (my underlining)
Health Information
Eye contact with DEGME may cause slight temporary eye irritation and/or pain disproportionate to the level of irritation to the eye. Prolonged skin exposure is not likely to cause significant irritation or result in absorption of harmful amounts.
No adverse effects are anticipated from single exposure to DEGME vapor. Small amounts swallowed incidentally as a result of normal handling operations are not likely to cause injury due to its low toxicity.
Dow do not make Prist (they make DICE) - apparently Prist make Prist themselves. So I checked their datasheet to see how they advise handling it. (my underlining again)
After mentioning gloves and goggles they say this:
Boots, aprons, or chemical suits should be used when necessary to prevent skin contact
So what have we got?
- It's an irritant - it hurts a lot when it gets in your eye but it doesn't do any lasting damage.
- It's not likely that a pilot can suffer sufficient skin exposure to allow for any negative effects,
- It's biodegradeable and it's effective as a biostat but noone wants to pay the certification costs that would enable it to be advertised as such.
They also say that if you want to go out on the apron wearing a full chemical-warfare attack prevention suit and a geiger counter then you can be their guest.
I'm going to stick to goggles and gloves myself.