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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.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

Ecotoxicological information

Toxicity to aquatic plants other than algae

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Administrative data

Link to relevant study record(s)

Description of key information

No reliable key study was available, however a reliability 4 study is available with a terrestrial plant exposed via aqueous routes, which indicate the low toxicity of citric acid to aquatic organisms.

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Additional information

Two studies are available for terrestrial species which have been exposed via aqueous routes. The studies are reported in this section as the results are aqueous:

A 72h IC50 value of 1.58 g/L has been determined for the effects of citric acid on germination (root length) of Lepidium sativum through an aqueous exposure in a study by Hartung et al. (1990). The publication does not provide sufficient details on the test system and environmental conditions during the test and has therefore been assigned reliability 4.

A 72h EC50 equivalent to 0.99 g/L has also been determined for the effects of citric acid on germination of the lettuce Lactuca sativa in a study by Reynolds (1975). The EC50 was determined at a pH of 2.2 and therefore the study cannot be considered reliable for the purposes of REACH. Although the germination study was conducted at an extremely low pH the results do still indicate the low toxicity of the test substance. The study has been assigned reliability 3.

Whilst neither of the studies on their own are suitable to fulfil the endpoint, they do indicate that citric acid is of very low toxicity to plants, with a 72h IC50 value of 1.58 g/L in Hartung et al. (1990).