4-chlorophenol

Short-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates

Description of key information

4-chlorophenol is toxic to aquatic invertebrates.

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Fresh water invertebrates

Fresh water invertebrates

Effect concentration:

2.5 mg/L

Additional information

Three studies investigating the toxicity of 4-chlorophenol (CAS No. 106-48-9) to aquatic invertebrates are available and used in a “Weight-of evidence approach”. Additionally, further results were found by screening relevant data bases. These supporting data are listed in the given table.

One available study tested the toxicity of the test substance to Daphnia magna during a test period of 48 hours (Kühn et al., 1989). The toxicity was assessed under static conditions and the study was conducted according to DIN guideline 38412, part II, which is similar to OECD guideline 202. A 48 h-EC50 value of 2.5 mg/L was examined. 48 h-EC0 and EC100 values of 1.5 mg/L and 4 mg/L demonstrated the narrow range of the toxicity response.

A second available study, which similarly tested the toxicity of the test substance to Daphnia magna during a period of 48 hours, was also conducted similar to OECD guideline 202 and under static conditions (LeBlanc, 1980). In this study a 48 h-EC50 value of 4.1 mg/L was determined.

A third available study tested the toxicity of the test substance to the saltwater shrimp Crangon septemspinosa during a period of 96 hours (McLeese et al., 1979). The study was conducted under semi-static conditions, a temperature regime of 10 °C and a salinity of 30 ‰. The lethality threshold was determined, which is defined as the geometric mean of the highest concentration with no deaths and the next higher concentration at which all test animals died. A lethality threshold value of 4.6 mg/L was calculated based on the initially measured test substance concentration.

 

These results indicate that 4-chlorophenol is toxic to aquatic invertebrates while reveiling Daphnia magna as most sensitive organism. This assumption is supported by various additional test results found in relevant data bases for Daphnia magna and other aquatic invertebrates.

Species	Exposure time [h]	Test parameter	Effective concentration [mg/L]	Reference
Daphnia magna	24	EC50	8.6	[1]
Daphnia magna	24	EC0	3.7	[1]
Daphnia magna	24	EC50	8.07	[2]
Daphnia carinata	24	EC50	12	[3]
Daphnia magna	24	EC50	7.4	[3]
Daphnia pulex	24	EC50	10	[3]
Daphnia magna	48	EC50	6.8	[6]
Daphnia magna	48	LC50	4.82	[4]
Daphnia magna	48	LC50	4.41	[5]
Daphnia magna	48	LC50	4.82	[8]
Daphnia magna	48	LC50	6	[7]
Ceriodaphnia dubia	48	LC50	9	[7]
Nitocra spinipes	96	LC50	21	[9]
Saduria entomon	96	LC50	59.7	[10]

References

[1] Kühn R. 1988. Schadstoffwirkungen von Umweltchemikalien im Daphnien-Reproduktions-Test als Grundlage für die Bewertung der Umweltgefährlichkeit in Aquatischen Systemen. Forschungsbericht 10603052

[2] Devillers J. and P. Chambon. 1986. Acute toxicity and QSAR of chlorophenols on Daphnia magna. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 37(4): 599-605 

[3] Shigeoka T., Sato Y., Takeda Y., Yoshida K. and F. Yamauchi. 1988. Acute toxicity of chlorophenols to green algae, Selenastrum capricornutum and Chlorella vulgaris, and Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 7(10):847-854

[4] Carlson R.M. and R. Caple. 1977. Chemical/biological implications of using chlorine and ozone for disinfection. EPA-600/3-77-066, U.S.EPA, Duluth, MN: 88 p. 

[5] Kim, K.T., Lee Y.G., and S.D. Kim. 2006. Combined toxicity of copper and phenol derivatives to Daphnia magna: Effect of complexation reaction. Environ. Int. 32(4): 487-492

[6] Steinberg C.E.W., Sturm A., Kelbel J., Lee S.K., Hertkorn N., Freitag D. and A.A. Kettrup. 1992. Changes of acute toxicity of organic chemicals to Daphnia magna in the presence of dissolved humic material (DHM). Acta Hydrochim. Hydrobiol. 20(6): 326-332 

[7] Cowgill U.M. and D.P. Milazzo. 1991. The sensitivity of Ceriodaphnia dubia and Daphnia magna to seven chemicals utilizing the three-brood test. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 20(2): 211-217 

[8] Kopperman HL, Carlson RM, R Caple. 1974. Aqueous chlorination and ozonation studies 1. Structure-toxicity correlations of phenolic compounds to Daphnia magna. Chem.-Biol. Interactions 9: 245 -251

[9] Linden E., Bengtsson B.E., Svanberg O., and G. Sundstrom. 1979. The acute toxicity of 78 chemicals and pesticide formulations against two brackish water organisms, the bleak (Alburnus alburnus) and the harpacticoid Nitocra spinipes. Chemosphere 8(11-12): 843-851

[10] Oksama M. and R. Kristoffersson. 1979. The toxicity of phenol to Phoxinus phoxinus, Gammarus duebeni, and Mesidotea entomon in brackish water. Ann. Zool. Fenn. 16(3): 209-216

[11] Kuiper J. 1982. The use of model ecosystems for the validation of screening tests for biodegradation and acute toxicity . Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, for C.E.C., TNO Report No. CL 82/01