Charcoal, coconut shell

Sediment toxicity

Description of key information

Testing of sediment toxicity is not required (see "discussion" below).

Additional information

Charcoal, coconut shell is highly insoluble in water (see IUCLID section 4.8) and the potential of charcoal, coconut shell to become adsorbed is extremely low (log K_oc= 0.661; see IUCLID section 5.4.1). In addition, waiving of terrestrial tests can be justified by the fact that charcoal, coconut shell (from forest burning and forest clearing) is and was used as a mean of fertilisation of soil. Thus a positive effect to soil and its organisms can be assumed instead. The only reason to assume a negative effect would be by indirect effects through substances, elements, metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) being bound to the charcoal itself ("charcoal contaminations"). These contaminations (either as carry-over from the original source e.g. wood or from the production process e.g. burning) might be toxic to test organisms as soon as they are washed out of the charcoal. As long as these contaminations are low, a risk to organisms of either type can not be assumed. The present data demonstrate that a significant contamination of charcoal, coconut shell with critical contaminants has not to be expected according to GC-MS results from charcoal as such and an organic extract of charcoal, only traces of some volatile organic compounds were detectable at room temperature (see IUCLID section 8).