Graphite, acid-treated

Bioaccumulation: terrestrial

Description of key information

Graphite, acid-treated is an inorganic solid, consisting of natural graphite and variable amounts of either intercalated nitric acid or acetic acid. The main component – graphite - is a naturally occurring inorganic solid substance which is insoluble in water. Due to its physico-chemical properties, i.e. absence of lipophilic functional groups which would enhance the lipid (fat) solubilisation properties and therefore facilitate the uptake into the organism, graphite itself can be regarded as not bioaccumulative and harmless.
The acid does not accumulate in the environment and is rapidly neutralised in the soil. Once the intercalated acid and/or ions are leached out by water into the environment or are taken up in the organism, they are subject to ready biodegradability. Therefore, accumulation in the cells or tissues of organisms can be excluded.  Taking these arguments into account a biomagnification along the food chain, which might lead to adverse effects, can therefore be excluded.   
Relevant exposure of the terrestrial compartment is unlikely regarding the use of graphite, acid-treated. Production and use of graphite, acid-treated only take place at a small number of industrial sites with no relevant releases of this substance to the environment or to waste water streams and with no probability of any significant release to the environment from products during their life cycle. 
Against this background and due to the physical-chemical properties of graphite, acid-treated it is considered unnecessary to perform a study on terrestrial bioaccumulation.