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EC number: 202-851-5 | CAS number: 100-42-5
- Life Cycle description
- Uses advised against
- Endpoint summary
- Appearance / physical state / colour
- Melting point / freezing point
- Boiling point
- Density
- Particle size distribution (Granulometry)
- Vapour pressure
- Partition coefficient
- Water solubility
- Solubility in organic solvents / fat solubility
- Surface tension
- Flash point
- Auto flammability
- Flammability
- Explosiveness
- Oxidising properties
- Oxidation reduction potential
- Stability in organic solvents and identity of relevant degradation products
- Storage stability and reactivity towards container material
- Stability: thermal, sunlight, metals
- pH
- Dissociation constant
- Viscosity
- Additional physico-chemical information
- Additional physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials
- Nanomaterial agglomeration / aggregation
- Nanomaterial crystalline phase
- Nanomaterial crystallite and grain size
- Nanomaterial aspect ratio / shape
- Nanomaterial specific surface area
- Nanomaterial Zeta potential
- Nanomaterial surface chemistry
- Nanomaterial dustiness
- Nanomaterial porosity
- Nanomaterial pour density
- Nanomaterial photocatalytic activity
- Nanomaterial radical formation potential
- Nanomaterial catalytic activity
- Endpoint summary
- Stability
- Biodegradation
- Bioaccumulation
- Transport and distribution
- Environmental data
- Additional information on environmental fate and behaviour
- Ecotoxicological Summary
- Aquatic toxicity
- Endpoint summary
- Short-term toxicity to fish
- Long-term toxicity to fish
- Short-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Long-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Toxicity to aquatic algae and cyanobacteria
- Toxicity to aquatic plants other than algae
- Toxicity to microorganisms
- Endocrine disrupter testing in aquatic vertebrates – in vivo
- Toxicity to other aquatic organisms
- Sediment toxicity
- Terrestrial toxicity
- Biological effects monitoring
- Biotransformation and kinetics
- Additional ecotoxological information
- Toxicological Summary
- Toxicokinetics, metabolism and distribution
- Acute Toxicity
- Irritation / corrosion
- Sensitisation
- Repeated dose toxicity
- Genetic toxicity
- Carcinogenicity
- Toxicity to reproduction
- Specific investigations
- Exposure related observations in humans
- Toxic effects on livestock and pets
- Additional toxicological data
Endpoint summary
Administrative data
Description of key information
Additional information
- LC50 (96 hours) Pimephales promelas 10 mg/l, measured, freshwater (Springborn, 1995)
- LC50 (96h) Pimephales promelas 4.02 mg/l, measured, freshwater (Geiger et al. 1990)
- EC50(48 hours) Daphnia magna 4.7 mg/l, measured, freshwater (Springborn, 1995)
- LC50 (96 hours) Hyalella azteca 9.5 mg/l, nominal, freshwater (Springborn, 1995)
- ErC50 (72 hours) Selenastrum capricornutum 4.9 mg/l, measured, freshwater (Springborn, 1995)
- NOEC(21d) Daphnia magna 1.01 mg/L, measured, freshwater (Kurume 1995)
- EC10(96h) Selenastrum capricornutum, 0.28 mg/L, measured, freshwater (Springborn 1995)
Styrene is considered to exert toxic effects by a non-specific mode of action (non-polar narcosis) in aquatic species. Many studies on the effects of styrene on aquatic organisms have been conducted. However, the value of some of these tests is questionable since they were carried out in open systems without taking the rapid volatilization into account and without measurement of the effective concentration. The following results are taken from the most valid and sensitive studies.
Results on acute aquatic toxicity:
Fish
Invertebrates
Algae
In general the available studies show that styrene can be considered acutely toxic to aquatic organisms.
Results on chronic toxicity:
Invertebrates
Algae
It is generally accepted that a 72-hour (or longer) EC50 value may be considered as equivalent to a short-term result and that a 72-hour (or longer) EC10 or NOEC value can be considered as a long-term result.
Few studies on possible endocrine effects of styrene in aquatic organisms are available. No such effcts were observed in juvenile fish (Ruiz et al., 2012), mussels (Ruiz et al., 2014) or male frog tadpoles (Ohtani et al., 2001). Overall the studies do not indicate an endocrine activity of styrene in the aquatic species investigated (Gelbke H. P. et al., 2015).
PNEC derivation
Since two chronic toxicity tests are available for styrene, according to TGD an assessment factor of 50 may be applied for the derivation of PNECaqua. However styrene, based on its structure, is expected to exhibit toxicity through a non-polar narcotic mode of action (Verhaar et al., 1992). This suggests that the toxicity between the three aquatic trophic levels (fish, daphnia and algae) is not expected to vary significantly. Acute toxicity data available available for styrene support indeed this assumption. Similar to the approach used in the evaluation of the closely related structure ethylbenzene (see EU Risk Assessment Report on Ethylbenzene) an assessment factor of 10 can therefore be applied to the lowest NOEC from the two available species. As mentioned in Chapter 10 of the Guidance on Information reqirements and Chemical Safety assessment, this is particular important if a substance, like styrene, does not have a potential to bioaccumulate.
Applying an assessment factor of 10 to the lowest chronic value for S. capricornutum leads to:
PNECaqua = 0.28 mg/L / 10 = 0.028 mg/L
STP
The inhibition of oxygen consumption in activated sludge was tested using domestic, non adapted sewage slugde resulting in a EC50 (30 min) of approx. 500 mg/l. Toxicity thresholds derived from short-term test with bacteria and protozoa are also available and suitable to assesss the effects of styrene on sewage treatment organisms. They indicate similar (or lower) sensitivity.
According to TGD an assessment factor of 100 may be applied for the derivation of PNECmicroorganims which leads to:
PNEC microorganisms = 500 mg/L / 100 = 5 mg/L
Conclusion on classification
The acute toxicity concentrations in fish, daphnia and algae are between 1 mg/L and 10 mg/L, however styrene is readily biodegradable and therefore no environmental classification for acute effects is required.
Regarding the long-term toxicity styrene has to be classified as aquatic chronic 3 which is triggered by the EC10 = 0.28 mg/L for algae.
Information on Registered Substances comes from registration dossiers which have been assigned a registration number. The assignment of a registration number does however not guarantee that the information in the dossier is correct or that the dossier is compliant with Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (the REACH Regulation). This information has not been reviewed or verified by the Agency or any other authority. The content is subject to change without prior notice.
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