Registration Dossier

Data platform availability banner - registered substances factsheets

Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.

The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.

Diss Factsheets

Administrative data

Hazard for aquatic organisms

Freshwater

Hazard assessment conclusion:
PNEC aqua (freshwater)
PNEC value:
1.9 mg/L
Assessment factor:
2
Extrapolation method:
sensitivity distribution
PNEC freshwater (intermittent releases):
1.25 mg/L

Marine water

Hazard assessment conclusion:
PNEC aqua (marine water)
PNEC value:
0.6 mg/L
Assessment factor:
10

STP

Hazard assessment conclusion:
PNEC STP
PNEC value:
10 mg/L

Sediment (freshwater)

Hazard assessment conclusion:
PNEC sediment (freshwater)
PNEC value:
2.6 mg/kg sediment dw

Sediment (marine water)

Hazard assessment conclusion:
PNEC sediment (marine water)
PNEC value:
1.92 mg/kg sediment dw
Extrapolation method:
equilibrium partitioning method

Hazard for air

Hazard for terrestrial organisms

Soil

Hazard assessment conclusion:
no exposure of soil expected

Hazard for predators

Secondary poisoning

Hazard assessment conclusion:
no potential for bioaccumulation

Additional information

Conclusion on classification

In water, the acetic acid - boron trifluoride complex rapidly decomposes to form acetic acid and boron trifluoride dihydrate. The latter reacts further to boric acid and fluoroboric acid, which finally hydrolyses to yield hydrofluoric acid/ fluoride ions (BUA Report 261, 2005). Due to the reactivity of the acetic acid – boron trifluoridec omplex in water, a weight of evidence approach was chosen for the assessment of aquatic toxicity, including studies on the submission substance itself as well as studies on decomposition/hydrolysis products. For this purpose all public data described in the EU Risk Assessment Report for boric acid was used.

Fluoride was not included in the assessment, since it is not assumed to significantly contribute to the toxic effect.The EU Risk assessment report on hydrofluoric acid indicates for fluoride ions a PNEC of 0.9 mg/L (or 3.3 mg/L derived with SSD), whereas a PNEC of 0.56 mg/L (or 1.9 mg/L derived with SSD) was estimated for boric acid.

No data is available on the long-term effects of the hydrolysis product acetic acid. However, due to its ready biodegradability and natural role in the metabolism of organims, no long-term effects are expected.

We can, therefore, assume that the toxicity of the acetic acid - boron trifluoride complex is dominated by the toxicity of H3BO3.