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EC number: 234-634-6 | CAS number: 12018-10-9
- 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
Key value for chemical safety assessment
Effects on fertility
Description of key information
Studies with more water-soluble chromium (III) compounds have shown effects on spermatogenesis and reproductive performance in mice and rats.
Effect on fertility: via oral route
- Dose descriptor:
- NOAEL
- 2 000 mg/kg bw/day
Effect on fertility: via inhalation route
- Dose descriptor:
- NOAEC
- 30 mg/m³
Additional information
Short description of key information:
No standard reproductive toxicity studies are available. An assessment of fertility and teratogenicity was included in a dietary toxicity study. Sperm parameters were assessed in a 13-week inhalation toxicity study.
Effects on developmental toxicity
Description of key information
No evidence of teratogenicity was seen in the offspring of rats exposed to chromium oxide in the diet at dose levels of up to ~2000 mg/kg bw/d for 60 days. No evidence of developmental toxicity was seen in a study in mice performed using water-coluble complexes of Cr (III). A negative in vitro screening study is also available.
Effect on developmental toxicity: via oral route
- Dose descriptor:
- NOAEL
- 2 000 mg/kg bw/day
Additional information
No effects on embryofoetal development were seen in rats mated following exposure to dietary levels of up to 5% chromium (III) oxide for 60 days (Ivankovic & Preussmann, 1975), equivalent to mean achieved intakes in excess of 2000 mg/kg bw/d.
Other literature studies
No additional studies are available for chromium oxide, however studies are available for other chromium (III) salts. These studies are of limited value due to methodological deficiencies and/or the relevance of the route of administration, however they are summarised here for completeness. The following summary and conclusion is taken from the 2006 FIOH review:
No studies of the effects of metallic chromium on development are available. However, it can be assumed that the developmental toxicity of metallic chromium resembles that of chromium(III) oxide. In a 90-day feeding study by Ivankovic and Preussmann (1975), no malformations were seen in the offspring of chromium(III) oxide fed female rats. The study was limited only to a small number of animals and provided no quantitative data. However, based on this study and the toxicokinetic knowledge of the poor bioavailability of water-insoluble chromium(III) oxide it is concluded that chromium(III) oxide is unlikely to cause developmental toxicity. According to toxicokinetic studies trivalent chromium accumulates in the placenta but only a low proportion of chromium in maternal serum crosses the placenta to the foetus. The transfer is far more limited than for hexavalent chromium. The only studies available concerning the developmental toxicity of water-soluble chromium compounds are non-standard studies using high-dose parenteral (i.p. or s.c.) administration, which cannot to be used in the developmental risk assessment of trivalent chromium. One meeting abstract suggests developmental abnormalities in rabbits treated orally with chromium chloride during the period of organogenesis. Due to the lack of any quantitative data or a better description of the study, the study cannot to be assessed. Therefore, no conclusions for the developmental toxicity of water-soluble trivalent chromium can be made.
Study with water soluble complexes of Cr (III)
A recent developmental toxicity study (Bailey et al, 2008) has been performed with the water souble Cr (III) complexes chromium picolinate and [Cr3O(O2CCHCH3)6 (H2O)3]+ (Cr3). No evidence of teratogenicity, foetotoxicity or developmental toxicity was seen in this study at dose levels of 200 mg/kg bw/d chromium picolinate (equivalent to 25 mg/kg bw/d Cr(III)), 15 or 120 mg/kg bw/d Cr3 (equivalent to 3.3 and 26 mg/kg bw/d Cr(III) respectively). Given the much higher systemic availability of these compounds, it can be deduced that the NOAEL values for chromium (III) oxide wil be considerably higher.
Conclusion
Based on the results of the screening studies, the very low systemic availability of chromium (III) oxide and the essentiality of chromium it is not proposed to perform any additonal studies of developmental toxicity. The lack of developmental toxicity seen in a study with chromium (III) compounds of much higher bioavailability is also noted. The performance of a developmental toxicity study is not justified for scientific reasons or on animal welfare grounds.
Toxicity to reproduction: other studies
Additional information
A number of studies using water-soluble trivalent chromium compounds have been summarised in the FIOH review (see above). A number of deficiencies have been identified in these studies including dose level relevance, relevance of the route of administration and identity of the test material. It is conclude that the effects on the reproductive system are unclear.
Justification for classification or non-classification
The available information on chromium oxide suggests no adverse effect on reproduction and no developmental toxicity. No classification is therefore proposed.
Additional information
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