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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.

The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.

Diss Factsheets

Ecotoxicological information

Short-term toxicity to fish

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Administrative data

Link to relevant study record(s)

Description of key information

No test results for L-leucine are available. However, based on test results available for read-across substance L-valine it can be concluded that acute toxicity to fish is not expected to occur upon exposure to up to 1000 mg/L of L-leucine.

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Additional information

No test results for L-leucine are available. However, read-across to the test results available for structural analogue L-valine is deemed justified based on a comparison of the main factors driving environmental toxicity: pH, water solubility, log Kow and chemical reactivity (functional groups).

- both are essential amino acids that are in the zwitterion state at physiological pH

- the chemical structure differs only in that L-leucine has one extra methylene group in the aliphatic side chain

- the pKa values of the α-COOH group is very similar: 2.36 for LEU, 2.32 for VAL

- the pKa values of the α-NH2 group is very similar: 9.60 for LEU, 9.62 for VAL

- the substances both have a high water solubility: 23 g/L for LEU, 58 g/L for VAL

- the substance both have a low log Kow value: -1.59 for LEU (calculated by EpiWin QSAR), -2.08 for VAL (calculated by EpiWin QSAR)

As the chemical structure and reactivity, and the water solubility, log Kow and pKa values of L-leucine and L-valine are almost identical, it can be concluded that read-across for aquatic toxicity information between those 2 substances is acceptable.

The tests available for L-valine are carried out according to OECD guidelines and reveal no fish mortality at the highest tested concentrations (1000 mg/L for the key study, 10000 mg/L for the supporting study. As a consequence, acute toxicity to fish is not expected to occur upon exposure to the L-leucine up to a concentration of 1000 mg/L.

This is further confirmed by the result of the QSAR (EcoSAR, EpiSuite) that predicted an 96h-LC50 of > 33000 mg/L for L-leucine.