Registration Dossier
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EC number: 266-028-2 | CAS number: 65996-93-2 The residue from the distillation of high temperature coal tar. A black solid with an approximate softening point from 30°C to 180°C (86°F to 356°F). Composed primarily of a complex mixture of three or more membered condensed ring aromatic hydrocarbons.
- 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

Ecotoxicological Summary
Administrative data
Hazard for aquatic organisms
Freshwater
- Hazard assessment conclusion:
- PNEC aqua (freshwater)
- PNEC value:
- 0 mg/L
- Assessment factor:
- 10
- Extrapolation method:
- assessment factor
Marine water
- Hazard assessment conclusion:
- PNEC aqua (marine water)
- PNEC value:
- 0 mg/L
- Assessment factor:
- 10
- Extrapolation method:
- assessment factor
STP
- Hazard assessment conclusion:
- PNEC STP
- PNEC value:
- 3.6 mg/L
- Assessment factor:
- 10
Sediment (freshwater)
- Hazard assessment conclusion:
- PNEC sediment (freshwater)
- PNEC value:
- 0.84 mg/kg sediment dw
- Extrapolation method:
- equilibrium partitioning method
Sediment (marine water)
- Hazard assessment conclusion:
- PNEC sediment (marine water)
- PNEC value:
- 0.366 mg/kg sediment dw
- Extrapolation method:
- equilibrium partitioning method
Hazard for air
Air
- Hazard assessment conclusion:
- no hazard identified
Hazard for terrestrial organisms
Soil
- Hazard assessment conclusion:
- PNEC soil
- PNEC value:
- 0.01 mg/kg soil dw
- Assessment factor:
- 50
- Extrapolation method:
- assessment factor
Hazard for predators
Secondary poisoning
- Hazard assessment conclusion:
- PNEC oral
- PNEC value:
- 0.28 mg/kg food
- Assessment factor:
- 30
Additional information
Pitch, coal tar, high temp., is not considered to be an environmentally hazardous substance due to its inert inherent properties: because of its poor water-solubility and its complex high-molecular aromatic structure, it can be neither biodegraded nor bioaccumulated. Coal-tar pitch failed to show acute and chronic aquatic toxicity.
Daphnia and alga gave no evidence of chronic adverse effects up to a loading of 100 mg/L. Long-term studies in fish are not available. However, they are not supposed to generate chronic toxic effects that are relevant for classification. Furthermore, the classification proposal outlined below will include the aspect of chronic hazard.
Phototoxic effects produced by certain PAHs under the influence of sun/UV-light can be waived by way of a weight-of-evidence approach, namely by comparing water solubility and photo-toxicity data of critical key components of pitch.
Emissions from pitch that may arise during processing and uses consist of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) that may constitute a hazard for men and environment. For the purpose of risk assessment, benzo(a)pyrene [BaP], one of the best characterised key components, has been chosen as marker substance for deriving PNEC values (see above).
PNECs derived for BaP are converted to PNECs for total coal tar pitch taking into account the total PAH content of coal tar pitch [see above under 'Introductory Remarks' (CSR Sect. 7.6.)].To compensate for additional aquatic toxicity from components in coal tar pitch other than BaP, a factor of 1/5 is applied on respective BaP PNECs. The resulting PNECs for total pitch, coal tar, high temp., are presented above.
Conclusion on classification
Because pitch is a UVCB substance, it is very difficult to classify it on the basis of the individual components. In addition, not all the components can be analysed when diluted in water. The composition in the water phase will not be the same at different loadings. As recommended for oil products and products such as creosote in the OECD Guidance Document on Aquatic Toxicity Testing of Difficult Substances and Mixtures (OECD, 2000), the water-accommodated fraction (WAF) approach is considered most appropriate to classify pitch. The classification criteria are applied to the loading rate.
Pitch, coal tar, high temp., produced no acute aquatic toxicity under standard test conditions in fish (OECD TG 203), in daphnia (OECD TG 202), and in algae (OECD TG 201). The effective loadings, EL50/LL50 values, were consistently higher than 100 mg/L. Based on weight of evidence, there is no concern over PAH-induced acute photo-toxicity. Furthermore, pitch has no bioaccumulation potential.
Hence, based on experimental evidence and weight of evidence, the pitch material requires no classification for environmental hazards in accordance to Directive (EU) 67/548/EEC. For precautionary reasons, taking into account that pitch may be a potential source of PAHs released into the environment, the labelling with R 53 is proposed.
Also in accordance to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, there is no need to classify pitch for acute toxicity. It is recommendable to classify pitch for long-term aspects as a potential source of environmental release of PAHs, which may be a cause of concern. This precautionary principle is covered by the “safety net” classification (Category: Chronic 4) [CLP Directive 1272/2008, 2nd ATP: EU Regul. 286/2011, 4.1.2.6, Table 4.1.0], hence H413 Chronic 4 is proposed.
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