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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.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

Administrative data

Link to relevant study record(s)

Description of key information

Natural fatty acids and their salts are well characterised for metabolic processes. Maleic acid is a natural substance essential in metabolic pathways. 
Linear fatty acids will be more likely to adsorb if ingesdted, but rosin acids and gums are less likely to be absorbed; either way, this class of materials are used in foods and food additives (eg gums, food thickeners etc) and there is considered no risk of accumulation in the food chain.

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Bioaccumulation potential:
no bioaccumulation potential

Additional information

Endpoint specific guidance (ECHA, 2008) indicates that absorption of substances following exposure by inhalation, skin contact or ingestion may be predicted based on log Pow and water solubility. Experimentally determined results for substances in this category are as follows:

Substance

Log Pow

Solubility (mg/l)

Rosin, maleated

2.2-5.89 (unbuffered)

1.38

Fatty acids, tall oil, oligomeric reaction products with maleic anhydride and rosin, calcium magnesium zinc salts

0.4 (pH 5.43)

<10

Resin acids and Rosin acids, maleated, sodium salts (and Tall oil…)

3.42->6.5

<5000

Resin acids and Rosin acids, maleated, calcium salts

4.69-5.84

<55.8

Rosin, fumarated

2.8 (pH 3.93-4.47)

c.9.0

Rosin, fumarated, reaction product with formaldehyde

3.3 (pH 3.99-4.37)

60

 

ECHA (2008) indicates that uptake of substances by the lung and by the gastrointestinal tract is favoured by moderate log P values (between -1 and 4) with micellular solubilisation favoured where log P is >4 and water solubility is low (< 1 mg/l). Data summarised above indicate that the log Pow for Fatty acids, tall oil, oligomeric reactions products with maleic anhydride and rosin, calcium magnesium zinc salts and Rosin, fumarated, reaction product with formaldehyde is less than 4 suggesting that some uptake after exposure via these routes may be possible. For the other category members, variations in the magnitude of the log Pow make it hard to draw any conclusion.

Dermal absorption of highly water soluble substance may occur where the log Pow is between 1-4 with log Pow values between 2 and 3 favouring uptake. When log Pow exceeds 4, penetration may be limited by the rate of transfer between the stratum corneum and epidermis although uptake of a substance by the stratum corneum will be high. Uptake of substances where log Pow exceeds 6 will be low (ECHA, 2008). Data summarised above suggest that Fatty acids, tall oil, oligomeric reactions products with maleic anhydride and rosin, calcium magnesium zinc salts and Rosin, fumarated, reaction product with formaldehyde may be absorbed although the extent of uptake is not clear. Variations in the magnitude of the log Pow make it hard to reach any conclusions for the other category members.

No experimental data are available to characterise the toxicokinetic behaviour of substances in this category.