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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.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: 203-714-2 | CAS number: 109-87-5
- 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
Link to relevant study record(s)
Description of key information
No bioaccumulation potential was observed in the litterature.
Key value for chemical safety assessment
- Bioaccumulation potential:
- no bioaccumulation potential
- Absorption rate - oral (%):
- 100
- Absorption rate - dermal (%):
- 100
- Absorption rate - inhalation (%):
- 50
Additional information
ABSORPTION
Oral / gastrointestinal absorption
With a low molecular weight (76.08 g/mol), high water solubility (330 g/L) and log Kow of 0.00, oral/gastrointestinal methylal absorption is favoured. Log Kow values between -1 and 4 are favourable for absorption by passive diffusion.
Oral absorption of methylal is set to 100% for risk assessment.
Inhalation absorption
Methylal high vapour pressure (40 kPa) indicates that the substance may be available for inhalation as a vapour. Its moderate log Kow value is favourable for absorption directly across the respiratory tract epithelium by passive diffusion. High solubility of methylal in water indicates that it may be retained within the mucus.
Methylal is a substrate of rat nose and liver cytochrome P-450-dependant-monooxygenase, an enzyme widespread in living organisms that metabolizes methylal in formaldehyde (Dahl & Hadley, 1983).
Inhalation absorption of methylal is set to 50% for risk assessment.
Dermal absorption
As a liquid with a molecular weight less than 100 g/mol, methylal dermal uptrake is favoured.
Based on molecular weight < 500 and log Kow in the (-1, 4) range, default dermal absorption of methylal is set to 100% for risk assessment.
Dermal absorption of methylal is set to 100% for risk assessment.
DISTRIBUTION
Tomilina et al. (1984) determinate the following correlation between methylal concentration in the air (y in mg/m3) and methylal concentration in rat's blood (x in mg/L) as y = 0.06 + 0.00008 x.
Once injected in dogs, methylal is transported by blood in which it is not detected after 24 hours (Virtue, 1951).
METABOLISM
Administration of methylal by oral route in rats for 3 consecutive mornings has no effects on kidney and liver histology, on hepatic drug-metabolized enzymes, urinaryformic acid excretion, hematological parameters and serum biochemical profiles. Methylal was found to be stable in rat artificial gastric juice at pH 2.5 to 9.0 for 24 hours at 37°C but unstable at lower pH (1.0, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, and 2.0). The hydrolysis of 3.1 mM methylal at pH < 2.5 produced methanol and formaldehyde in a ratio of approximatively 2 to 1 (Poon et al., 2000). However, human stomach pH is 2.7 (1.8-4.5) and 1.9 (1.6-2.6) in median anterior and median posterior portion, respectively, and is 1.7 (1.4-2.1) when fasted (Zwart et al., 1999). As a consequence oral acute toxicity to methylal depends on its fate in stomach. At more, it seems that methylal is rapidely absorbed in the stomach.
EXCRETION
Excretion of methylal by lungs is the main elimination process in dogs: 87% and 1% of intravenous injected methylal is eliminated by exhalation and urine, respectively, within 7 hours.Methylal was not detected in exhaled air after 24 hours (Virtue, 1951).
The following values for absorption assessment were taken into account according to methylal behaviour (absorption, metabolism, distribution and elimination):
oral absorption of methylal is set to 100% for risk assessment;
inhalation absorption of methylal is set to 50% for risk assessment;
dermal absorption of methylal is set to 100% for risk assessment.
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.