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EC number: 201-069-1 | CAS number: 77-92-9
- Life Cycle description
- Uses advised against
- Endpoint summary
- Appearance / physical state / colour
- Melting point / freezing point
- Boiling point
- Density
- Particle size distribution (Granulometry)
- Vapour pressure
- Partition coefficient
- Water solubility
- Solubility in organic solvents / fat solubility
- Surface tension
- Flash point
- Auto flammability
- Flammability
- Explosiveness
- Oxidising properties
- Oxidation reduction potential
- Stability in organic solvents and identity of relevant degradation products
- Storage stability and reactivity towards container material
- Stability: thermal, sunlight, metals
- pH
- Dissociation constant
- Viscosity
- Additional physico-chemical information
- Additional physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials
- Nanomaterial agglomeration / aggregation
- Nanomaterial crystalline phase
- Nanomaterial crystallite and grain size
- Nanomaterial aspect ratio / shape
- Nanomaterial specific surface area
- Nanomaterial Zeta potential
- Nanomaterial surface chemistry
- Nanomaterial dustiness
- Nanomaterial porosity
- Nanomaterial pour density
- Nanomaterial photocatalytic activity
- Nanomaterial radical formation potential
- Nanomaterial catalytic activity
- Endpoint summary
- Stability
- Biodegradation
- Bioaccumulation
- Transport and distribution
- Environmental data
- Additional information on environmental fate and behaviour
- Ecotoxicological Summary
- Aquatic toxicity
- Endpoint summary
- Short-term toxicity to fish
- Long-term toxicity to fish
- Short-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Long-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Toxicity to aquatic algae and cyanobacteria
- Toxicity to aquatic plants other than algae
- Toxicity to microorganisms
- Endocrine disrupter testing in aquatic vertebrates – in vivo
- Toxicity to other aquatic organisms
- Sediment toxicity
- Terrestrial toxicity
- Biological effects monitoring
- Biotransformation and kinetics
- Additional ecotoxological information
- Toxicological Summary
- Toxicokinetics, metabolism and distribution
- Acute Toxicity
- Irritation / corrosion
- Sensitisation
- Repeated dose toxicity
- Genetic toxicity
- Carcinogenicity
- Toxicity to reproduction
- Specific investigations
- Exposure related observations in humans
- Toxic effects on livestock and pets
- Additional toxicological data
Endpoint summary
Administrative data
Description of key information
- Non-standard terrestrial toxicity data are available that indicate low or no effects are associated with exposure to citric acid.
- The substance is naturally occurring in terrestrial organisms
- The substance has a negative log Kow value and is not expected to bioaccumulate.
- The substance is rapidly degradable and has a negative log Kow, therefore partitioning to the terrestrial compartment is expected to be minimal.
- The substance is of low toxicity to aquatic organisms (EC/LC50 >100 mg/L)
- Citric acid is used as a remediation agent against metals and other elements in soil and aquatic compartments.
Citric acid has been extensively studied as a remediation agent in aquatic and soil compartments to sequester metals and other elements. While the data generated does not assess the intrinsic hazardous properties of citric acid, it does indicate that the substance has low toxicity in order for it to be used as a remediation agent
Three non-guideline studies indicate the low hazard potential of citric acid:
Snow et al. 2014 exposed chickens Gallus domesticus to citric acid. A 14 day NOEC value of > 4 g/kg body weight has been determined for the effects of the test substance on mortality of the chicken.
In Pitt et al. 2014 bats (Eptesicus fuscus) were exposed to citric acid: after 48 hours no effects was observed up to a concentration of 759 mg/kg bw, where emsis was observed, while at 2811 mg/kg bw mortalities were observed.
Agnello et al. 2015 investigated the potential toxicity of citric acid to plants (Medicago sativa): a 14 day study of already emerged 14 day old plants exposed to citric acid, showed no difference in biomass compared to the control up to a concentration of 17230 mg/kg dw.
In addition, a study is available on terrestrial plants which have beene exposed to citric acid via aqueous routes. The study is reported under the IUCLID section 6.1.6:
Hartung et al. (1990) report a 72h IC50 value of 1.58 g/L for the effects of citric acid on germination (root length) of Lepidium sativum through an aqueous exposure. The publication does not provide sufficient details on the test system and environmental conditions during the test and has been assigned reliability 4.
Overall, it is concluded that the risk characterisation conclusion is sufficiently conservative in respect of any uncertainties and therefore further in vivo testing is not considered necessary, because:
Additional information
Citric acid is highly water soluble and has a negative log Kow value. Therefore, it is not expected to be taken up and accumulated by terrestrial organisms. In addition, citric acid is rapidly degradable.
Due to its nature as a complexing agent, citric acid may have the potential to adsorb. However, if citric acid is released to water, the probability of its partition into other environmental compartments is expected to be low due to the ready degradability of the substance.
Citric acid is naturally occurring in terrestrial organisms and is a key intermediate in the metabolic pathways of most organisms. Low toxicity was observed in short-term aquatic tests and the occurrence of more severe toxic effects in the terrestrial compartment that were not expressed in the aquatic studies would be considered unlikely.
The attached report "189 06 Citric acid and Citrate Salts - Metabolism and Toxicity 20100618.pdf" summarises the TCA cycle and presents data on the amounts citric acid found in plants and animals.
Overall, it is concluded that the risk characterisation conclusion is sufficiently conservative in respect of any uncertainties and therefore further testing is not considered necessary.
Information on Registered Substances comes from registration dossiers which have been assigned a registration number. The assignment of a registration number does however not guarantee that the information in the dossier is correct or that the dossier is compliant with Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (the REACH Regulation). This information has not been reviewed or verified by the Agency or any other authority. The content is subject to change without prior notice.
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