Anthracene oil

Endpoint summary

Additional information

Aquatic bioaccumulation

The aquatic bioaccumulation potential of anthracene oil (benzo[a]pyrene < 50 ppm, AOL) will be assessed based on BCF values determined for individual constituents of AOL. Phenanthrene as maker substance (see Chapter 4) will best represent the bioaccumulation properties of AOL. Thus, phenanthrene data are used as key information.

BIOCONCENTRATION in fish focused on PHENANTHRENE as marker substance:

In both, the risk assessment report on coal-tar pitch (EU 2008) and the expertise for CONCAWE (Lampi and Parkerton 2009), the study by Jonsson et al. (2004) received the highest rate of reliability. Therefore, this work is given highest priority.

In this study, kinetic as well as steady state BCF values were determined at a low (0.12 µg/L) and high (1.12 µg/L) exposure level. Kinetic values were found to be 810 and 2229, while steady state values were somewhat lower (700 and 1623, respectively). Normalised to a fish lipid content of 5 %, values declined considerably (kinetic values: 393 and 1082; steady state values: 340 and 788). Lipid-normalised values are clearly below the cut-off value of 2000 for bioaccumulation according to Annex XIII of REACH regulation.

This study provides evidence that phenanthrene has a low to moderate bioconcentration potential (for more detailed information see below).

In the same study, pyrene was included as test substance. For this compound, even lower BCF values were determined. Kinetic BCF values were higher compared to steady state values, as was the case for phenanthrene. Lipid-normalised kinetic BCF values were 70 and 47 for the low and high exposure concentration, respectively.

Overall, the study results demonstrate that the AOL constituents examined have a low potential for bioaccumulation in fish.

In their expertise, Lampi and Parkerton state that "… reliable fish BCF data indicate that the EPA PAH show BCFs below 2000" (note: anthracene had been excluded from their treatise). They continue: "In the case of phenanthrene, there are two high quality BCF values, both below 2000 and several values that are judged to be reliable with restrictions that fall between 2000 and 5000. Thus, a weight of evidence approach for phenanthrene would suggest it fulfils the B criterion, if based only on bioconcentration data.”

Additional information from biomagnification data:

Taking into account the complementary information for assessing bioaccumulation properties along the food chain, “these data clearly demonstrate that all PAHs investigated, including phenanthrene, exhibit a low biomagnification potential.” (Lampi and Parkerton 2009, p. 7).

Conclusion according to WHO:

"Aquatic organisms that metabolise PAHs to little or no extent, such as algae, molluscs and the more primitive invertebrates (protozoans, porifers and cnidaria) accumulate high concentrations of PAHs, as would be expected from their log Kow values, whereas organisms that metabolise PAHs to a great extent, such as fish and higher invertebrates, accumulate little or no PAHs.

The concentration of PAHs in vegetation is generally considerably lower than that in soil, the bioaccumulation factors ranging from 0.0001 to 0.33 for BaP and from 0.001 to 0.18 for 17 other PAHs tested.

Biomagnification (the increase in concentration of a substance in animals in successive trophic levels of food chains) of PAHs has not been observed in aquatic systems and would not be expected to occur, because most organisms have a high biotransformation potential for PAHs. Organisms at higher trophic levels in food chains show the highest potential for biotransformation (WHO 1998)."

[from WHO 2003, p.147]

REFERENCES:

EU (2008). Coal-Tar Pitch, high temperature - Risk Assessment. European Union Risk Assessment Report, The Netherlands [http://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/433ccfe1-f9a5-4420-9dae-bb316f898fe1]

Lampi and Parkerton (2009). Bioaccumulation Assessment of PAHs - Review Paper Prepared for CONCAWE. ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc.

WHO (2003). HEALTH RISKS OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS FROM LONG-RANGE TRANSBOUNDARY AIR POLLUTION, JOINT WHO/CONVENTION TASK FORCE ON THE HEALTH ASPECTS OF AIR POLLUTION. WHO Regional Office for Europe, World Health Organization 2003

 

Terrestrial bioaccumulation

Data for anthracene oil itself or for individual constituents could not be identified. Due to the character of AOL as a UVCB substance, a terrestrial bioconcentration factor cannot directly be determined. Provisionally and as key value for the chemical safety assessment, a terrestrial BCF for AOL is estimated based on the log Pow of the substance (4.57) using the procedure described in the Technical Guidance Document (ECHA guidance on IR&CSA - Chapter R.16). Following this approach, a BCF_earthworm of 450 L/kg ww was calculated.