Octylamine

Endpoint summary

Additional information

Octylamine is acutely very toxic to aquatic organisms.

Disturbances in wastewater treatment plants are not to be expected when octylamine is released in appropriate amounts.

Fish

Results are available for several species. The lowest reliable effect value was determined by Geiger et al. (1988). The test concentrations were analytically verified in this study, while the results of the other studies are based on nominal concentrations.

Endpoint	Organism group	Species	Value [mg/L]	Reliability	Source
96-h LC50	Fish	Pimephales promelas	5.19 (measured)	2 (key study)	Geiger et al. (1988)
96-h LC50	Fish	Leuciscus idus	17.8 (nominal)	2	BASF AG (1983)
96-h LC50	Fish	Danio rerio	32 (nominal)	2	Hoechst (1988)

Based on the key study, octylamine is acutely toxic for fish.

Aquatic invertebrates

There are two reliable studies available (Pedersen et al., 1998; BASF AG, 1997). The 48-h EC50 were determined to be 1.9 and 3.24 mg/L, respectively. Since only Pedersen et al. (1998) verified the test concentrations analytically, this study was selected as key study.

Algae

There are data for three studies available. The key study was performed by BASF (1997), the two other studies were reported by Bollmann et al. (1989). The test concentrations in the study of the latter source were analytically verified. One of these study was performed with neutralised medium. The EC50 values are within the same range and clearly below 1 mg/L.

Endpoint	Organism group	Species	Value [mg/L]	Reliability	Source
72-h ErC50 72-h NOEC	Aquatic algae	Desmodesmus subspicatus	0.23 (nominal) 0.01 (nominal)	2 (key study)	BASF AG (1997)
96-h EC50	Aquatic algae	Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata	0.220 (measured; neutralised)	4	Bollmann et al. (1989)
96-h EC50	Aquatic algae	Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata	0.070 (measured)	4	Bollmann et al. (1989)

Based on the key study, octylamine is acutely very toxic for aquatic algae.

Microorganisms

This endpoint is sufficiently covered by the data on biodegradability (see section 5.2).

The key study in section 5.2.1 indicate that octylamine is readily biodegradable. It can be derived that disturbances in sewage treatment plants are not to be expected when octylamine is released in appropriate amounts. Inhibitory effects of octylamine to sewage sludge bacteria were not observed at a concentration of 100 mg/L.