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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.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

Environmental fate & pathways

Endpoint summary

Administrative data

Description of key information

Acid Yellow 220 should be regarded as not readily biodegradable.

Additional information

By the nature of their design and use, textile dyes are not intended to be readily biodegradable as this would assist in the rapid destruction of the dyestuff, rendering it unfit for purpose. There are ISO, European, American (AATCC) and national standards for the colour fastness of dyes. Dyes are required to have specific fastness properties. If the dyes were biodegradable, it would not be possible for them to have these fastness properties. As such, it is accepted that such substances are not readily biodegradable under relevant environmental conditions. A published study (Pagga & Brown, 1986) describes the results of the testing of 87 dyestuffs in short-term aerobic biodegradation tests. The authors of this publication concluded that dyestuffs are very unlikely to show any significant biodegradation in such tests and that 'there seems little point in carrying out such test procedures’ on dyestuffs. Nevertheless, biodegradability of Acid Yellow 220 was tested over the years in several Zahn Wellens tests as well as tests evaluating Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). In the most recent Zahn Wellens Test (1993) designated as key study, the elimination observed was 0.3 %. Similarly in the studies determining BOD5 and COD (1993), the BOD5/COD ratio was 0/892 equalling 0. Several other studies indicated BOD5/COD ratio to be equalling 0. Hence, Acid Yellow 220 should regarded as not readily biodegradable.