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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.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

Link to relevant study record(s)

Description of key information

Short description of key information on bioaccumulation potential result: 
Five studies were used to assess the basic toxicokinetics of the test item, using the read-across strategy. The key study was well-conducted and was equivalent to the oecd guideline 417 related to Decane, using a PBPK model. Four supporting studies (3 in vivo studies and 1 in vitro study) were selected and used to determine the absorption, distribution and excretion of the read-across substance (n-decane, C14 - C28, C9 - C13, and C9 C10 and C14).

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Bioaccumulation potential:
low bioaccumulation potential

Additional information

Two studies examined the distribution (Perleberg et al., 2004) and the excretion (Hissink et al., 2007) of n-decane respectively, according to a PBPK model for n-decane.

Concerning the distribution, Perleberg et al., 2004 showed that the blood and lung decane concentrations were sensitive to the bone marrow permeability area cross product, ventilation rate, and body weight. The model-predicted brain concentrations of decane were sensitive to the body weight brain/blood partition coefficient value, the permeability-area cross product for the brain, and the volume of the brain. Furthermore, Hissink et al., 2007 highlighted that in rats at exposure levels up to approximately 5000 mg/m3, n-decane was rapidly taken up with near steady state conditions being achieved within 8 hours.

Concerning the excretion, Hissink et al., 2007 showed that, upon cessation of exposure, blood and brain levels rapidly declined with biological half lives of approximately 2 hours. 

In humans, measurements of n-decane in blood and exhaled air showed similar uptake and elimination behavior. 

All these available studies concluded that the uptake, the percentage retention, and the metabolic clearance showed an inverse linear relationship to chain length of n-alkane.

Indeed, the efficiency of uptake into both blood and brain also decreased with increasing carbon number.

So these data indicate that n-decane is rapidly metabolized and eliminated and does not bioaccumulate.

Moreover, the toxicokinetics of n-alkane is related to their chain length.