2-Propenoic acid, homopolymer

Short-term toxicity to fish

Link to relevant study record(s)

Reference

Endpoint:

short-term toxicity to fish

Type of information:

read-across from supporting substance (structural analogue or surrogate)

Adequacy of study:

key study

Justification for type of information:

1. HYPOTHESIS FOR THE ANALOGUE APPROACH
- Read-across hypothesis: "Different compounds have the same type of effect(s)"

2. SOURCE AND TARGET CHEMICAL(S) (INCLUDING INFORMATION ON PURITY AND IMPURITIES)
- Target chemical: 2-Propenoic acid, homopolymer (purity ≥ 99.0%) = UVCB substance composed of acrylic acid monomers (Mw = 72 g/mol) and 2-carboxyethyl acrylate oligomers (average Mw = 208.8 g/mol)
- Source chemical: Acrylic acid = monoconstituent substance composed of acrylic acid monomers (Mw = 72 g/mol)

3. ANALOGUE APPROACH JUSTIFICATION
- Common structure: the constituents of the target and source chemicals share identical functional groups (i.e. one terminal carboxylic acid group and one terminal vinyl group) and only differ in the presence/absence of one or several -CH2-CH2-COO- pattern(s) in their structural backbones. This pattern being introduced as a result of (poly)addition reactions, it is only present in the polymerized units of acrylic acid (average number of -CH2-CH2-COO- patterns per vinyl group: < 3) and is absent from the monomer units.
- Common physico-chemical/fate properties: the target and source chemicals are both hydrophylic substances (log Pow < 1) with a high solubility in water and a low volatility (VP < 5 hPa). Both substances have a low potential for bioaccumulation in living organisms (log Pow < 4) and a low potential for persistence in environmental compartments (rapidly degradable).
- Common mode of action: the toxic effects of the target and source chemicals are expected to result from their acidic character (carboxylic acid group) and from the reactivity of their double bond (vinyl group). As the polyaddition reactions lead only to an increase in the chain length/molecular weight without an increase in the number of reactive functional groups, the low molecular-weight polymerized units of acrylic acid (from the test item) are not expected to exert higher toxicity than the monomer units. As a result, the target chemical, although only partially composed of acrylic acid monomers, is considered at the very worst to be as toxic as the source substance.

Further information (including data matrix) is available in the attached read-across justification document.

Reason / purpose for cross-reference:

read-across source

Reason / purpose for cross-reference:

read-across source

Reason / purpose for cross-reference:

read-across source

Key result

Duration:

96 h

Dose descriptor:

LC50

Effect conc.:

27 mg/L

Basis for effect:

mortality (fish)

Remarks on result:

other: Oncorhynchus mykiss (freshwater sp.)

Remarks:

read-across from acrylic acid

Key result

Duration:

96 h

Dose descriptor:

LC50

Effect conc.:

62 mg/L

Basis for effect:

mortality (fish)

Remarks on result:

other: Oryzias latipes (freshwater sp.)

Remarks:

read-across from acrylic acid

Key result

Duration:

96

Dose descriptor:

LC50

Effect conc.:

236 mg/L

Basis for effect:

mortality (fish)

Remarks on result:

other: Cyprinodon variegatus (marine sp.)

Remarks:

read-across from acrylic acid

Conclusions:

Using a read-across approach, the REACH substance is expected to exhibit a 96-hour 50% lethal concentration LC50 in the range >10-100 mg/L when exposed to freshwater fish species; toxic effects are not expected to be higher in marine fish species.

Description of key information

As no data were available to characterize the acute toxicity of the REACH substance to freshwater fish species, a read-across approach was followed to fill in the endpoint. The REACH substance is composed of polymerized units of acrylic acid (identified as "2-carboxyethyl acrylate oligomers") and residual monomers of acrylic acid. As the toxicity of acrylic acid derivates is not expected to increase with their increasing molecular weight, a worst-case analogy was made between the REACH substance and acrylic acid, the latter being considered as its most toxic constituent.

According to the data available on acrylic acid, the REACH substance is expected, by analogy, to exhibit a 96-hour 50% lethal concentration LC50 in the range >10-100 mg/L when exposed to freshwater fish species; toxic effects are not expected to be higher in marine fish species. The lowest LC50 value obtained with acrylic acid (i.e. 27 mg/L) was used, by analogy, for the environmental hazard assessment of the REACH substance.

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Fresh water fish

Fresh water fish

Effect concentration:

27 mg/L