Registration Dossier
Registration Dossier
Data platform availability banner - registered substances factsheets
Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.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
Use of this information is subject to copyright laws and may require the permission of the owner of the information, as described in the ECHA Legal Notice.
EC number: 439-590-3 | CAS number: 12158-75-7
- 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
Toxicity to aquatic algae and cyanobacteria
Administrative data
- Endpoint:
- toxicity to aquatic algae and cyanobacteria
- Type of information:
- migrated information: read-across from supporting substance (structural analogue or surrogate)
- Adequacy of study:
- key study
- Reliability:
- 2 (reliable with restrictions)
- Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:
- other: Substance taken as reference was nano-sized rendering the results very conservative.
Data source
Referenceopen allclose all
- Reference Type:
- secondary source
- Title:
- Unnamed
- Year:
- 2 009
- Reference Type:
- publication
- Title:
- Toxicity of nanoparticles of CuO, ZnO and TiO2 to microalgae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata
- Author:
- Aruoja, V., Dubourguier, H.C., Kasemets, K and Kahru A.
- Year:
- 2 009
- Bibliographic source:
- Science of the Total Environment 407, 1461-1468 (2009)
Materials and methods
Test guideline
- Qualifier:
- according to guideline
- Guideline:
- OECD Guideline 201 (Alga, Growth Inhibition Test)
- GLP compliance:
- not specified
Test material
- Reference substance name:
- Copper oxide
- EC Number:
- 215-269-1
- EC Name:
- Copper oxide
- Cas Number:
- 1317-38-0
- Molecular formula:
- CuO
- IUPAC Name:
- copper (II) oxide
- Reference substance name:
- CuO
- IUPAC Name:
- CuO
- Details on test material:
- Formula: CuO
Copper oxide, nanosized: particle size around 30 nm compared with bulk CuO
Constituent 1
Constituent 2
Sampling and analysis
- Analytical monitoring:
- yes
Test solutions
- Details on test solutions:
- CuO nanosized was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich and bulk CuO from Alfa Aesar. Sock suspensions were prepared in algae medium immediately before each experiment (100 mg/L CuO). Before use, they were ultrasonicated for 30 minutes.
The appearance of nano and bulk CuO suspensions did not change: nano CuO suspension remaine more homogeneous and muc darker than the bulk formulation.
Test organisms
- Test organisms (species):
- Raphidocelis subcapitata (previous names: Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Selenastrum capricornutum)
Study design
- Test type:
- not specified
- Water media type:
- freshwater
- Limit test:
- no
- Total exposure duration:
- 72 h
- Post exposure observation period:
- Yes
Test conditions
- Test temperature:
- 24°C
- Details on test conditions:
- The substances under investigation were incubated with P. subcapitata at 24 °C±1 °C for at least 72 h in 20-ml glass incubation vials containing 5 ml of algal growth medium (OECD, 1984). The vials were shaken on a transparent table and constantly illuminated from below with Philips TL-D 38W aquarelle fluorescent tubes (enhanced irradiation between 400 and 500 nm). All assays were run in three replicates with initial algal cell count of 10000 cells/ml and algal biomass was measured by chlorophyll fluorescence. Briefly, 50 μl culture samples were transferred to a 96-well plate, 200 μl of ethanol was added to each sample and the plate was shaken for 3 h in the dark. Thereafter the fluorescence was measured with a microplate fluorometer (excitation 440 nm, emission 670 nm; Fluoroscan Ascent, Thermo Labsystems, Finland). The metal oxide suspensions did not fluoresce under these conditions and also their light absorbances at these excitation and emission wavelengths were below detection limit (Multiskan Spectrum, Thermo Electron Corp., Finland). During the exponential growth phase, the chlorophyll fluorescence (RFU) correlated with cell density
determined by counting in Neubauer hemocytometer. Phase contrast as well as fluorescence micrographs were taken with Olympus CX41 microscope equipped with DP71 camera.
In order to evaluate the shading effects of particle suspensions, special double layer glass vials were constructed by sealing a smaller vessel (cut from a similar vial) under the 20 ml test culture vessel. The lower vessel was filled with 3 ml of algal growth medium but not inoculated with algae. For shading controls the same amount of metal oxide particles than in the respective test vessel was added to the lower vessel.
Results and discussion
Effect concentrationsopen allclose all
- Duration:
- 72 h
- Dose descriptor:
- NOEC
- Effect conc.:
- 421 µg/L
- Nominal / measured:
- estimated
- Conc. based on:
- element
- Remarks:
- Copper (nanosized CuO)
- Basis for effect:
- growth rate
- Remarks on result:
- other: 373-852
- Duration:
- 72 h
- Dose descriptor:
- EC50
- Effect conc.:
- 710 µg/L
- Nominal / measured:
- estimated
- Conc. based on:
- element
- Remarks:
- Copper (nanosized CuO)
- Basis for effect:
- growth rate
- Remarks on result:
- other: 556-1092
- Duration:
- 72 h
- Dose descriptor:
- EC20
- Effect conc.:
- 504 µg/L
- Nominal / measured:
- estimated
- Conc. based on:
- element
- Remarks:
- Copper (nanosized CuO)
- Basis for effect:
- growth rate
- Remarks on result:
- other: 439-931
- Duration:
- 72 h
- Dose descriptor:
- NOEC
- Effect conc.:
- 8.03 mg/L
- Nominal / measured:
- estimated
- Conc. based on:
- element
- Remarks:
- Copper (bulk CuO)
- Basis for effect:
- growth rate
- Remarks on result:
- other: 6.58-14.9
- Duration:
- 72 h
- Dose descriptor:
- EC50
- Effect conc.:
- 11.55 mg/L
- Nominal / measured:
- estimated
- Conc. based on:
- element
- Remarks:
- Copper (bulk CuO)
- Basis for effect:
- growth rate
- Remarks on result:
- other: 8.64-18.9
- Duration:
- 72 h
- Dose descriptor:
- EC20
- Effect conc.:
- 9.1 mg/L
- Nominal / measured:
- estimated
- Conc. based on:
- element
- Remarks:
- Copper (bulk CuO)
- Basis for effect:
- growth rate
- Remarks on result:
- other: 7.28-16.1
- Details on results:
- Free ionic copper is considered the active ingredient in inorganic copper salts, and is believed to be repsonsible for adverse effects. The bioavailablity of the copper ion at target sites determines the severity of effects. Both copper oxide and and copper hydroxide nitrate are considered sparingly soluble inorganic copper salts and would be expected to dissociate similarly within the organism. As test material is in nano form, results are considered to be very conservative.
As aqueous suspensions of nanoparticles are opaque and thus may inhibit the growth of algae also by absorption of light, the special constructed vials for incubation of algae allowed to differentiate the true inhibitory effect of metal oxide from the light shading effect.
In control experiments, there was no significant effect on the 72 h growth of algae regardless of the concentrations of CuO.
In the experiments, CuO nanoparticles were clearly more toxic towards algae than the bulk form: the 72 h EC50 values being 0.71 and 11.55 mg Cu/l, respectively. There were no visible aggregates present in the growth medium. Of the concentrations tested, complete inhibition of growth occurred at 6.4 mg Cu/l with nanoparticles but at 25.6 mg Cu/l with bulk CuO. When the incubation was extended several days beyond the standard 72 h, growth was observed in case of some initially toxic nano CuO concentrations (1.6 mg Cu/l of nano CuO).
Applicant's summary and conclusion
- Validity criteria fulfilled:
- yes
- Conclusions:
- Under the conditions of the test, the NOEL for nano-sized Copper oxide, using a green algae, was 421 µg Cu/L. Based on a content of 53% Copper in Basic Copper Nitrate, the fish NOEL for this substance is estimated to be 794 µg/L.
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.
Reproduction or further distribution of this information may be subject to copyright protection. Use of the information without obtaining the permission from the owner(s) of the respective information might violate the rights of the owner.