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EC number: 223-795-8 | CAS number: 4075-81-4
Short-term toxicity to fish
Administrative data
Link to relevant study record(s)
Description of key information
Mount et al.1997 investigated the effects of CaCl2, CaSO4 and a mixture thereof (3.8/1; v/v) on the fresh water fish Pimephales promelas. The 96 h-LC50 values amount to 4630 mg CaCl2/L, >1970 mg CaSO4/L and >5510 mg CaCl2+CaSO4/L, equivalent to 1670.2, > 579.4 and > 1785.4 mg Ca/L, respectively, and are far above the OECD test limit of 100 mg/L. In European stream water, the median background concentration of calcium amounts to 40 mg Ca/L (Salminen et al. 2005). Since calcium is an important macronutrient for fish, all aquatic test media contain calcium (added in form of salts such as calcium sulfate) moreover calcium contributes to the required water hardness. The acute fish test according to OECD 203 (1992) applies reconstituted water (ISO 6341-1982) that contains 293.8 mg CaCl2*2 H2O/L (corresponding to 80 mg Ca/L) and the water hardness should range from 10 to 250 mg CaCO3/L (corresponding to 4 – 100 mg Ca/L).
Pillard et al. 2000 investigated the effect of calcium chloride (CaCl2) on saltwater species Cyprinodon variegatus and Menidia beryllina. The LC50 (48 h) values were determined to be 4410 and 4610 mg Ca/L (nominal), respectively, and are far above the OECD test limit of 100 mg/L. Locke et al. (1999) determined an 96 h-LC50 for Ca(OH)2 on the saltwater species Gasterosteus aculeatus of 457.0 mg Ca(OH)2/L (nominal) that is also above the OECD test limit. However, the latter LC50 should be evaluated with caution as a steep pH increase (pH at LC50 = 10.47) and not the calcium ions may have been responsible for the observed effect. Furthermore, it was unclear, if the fish had been acclimated to conditions far beyond their pH tolerance range. Calcium concentrations (~ 400 mg Ca/L, Sverdrup et al. 1942) of natural sea water are typically above the LC50-value from Locke et al. 2009; i.e. 247 mg/L based on elemental calcium, indicating that the observed mortality was not due to elevated calcium concentrations.
In sum, calcium as an essential element has a very low potential for acute toxicity to freshwater and saltwater fish.
Key value for chemical safety assessment
Additional information
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