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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.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

Environmental fate & pathways

Bioaccumulation: aquatic / sediment

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Administrative data

Link to relevant study record(s)

Description of key information

The Key Study of Takahashi and Blanchard (1974) provides a highly conservative representation of bioaccumulation potential for biphenyl, as the fish BCF value of 1,900 L/kg (w/w) is based on total radioactivity in whole-body, rather than parent substance residues on a lipid-normalized tissue basis.  The supporting study of Neely et al. (1974) derives a steady-state BCF value of 438 in trout, which is based on measured biphenyl concentrations in exposure water and in edible fillet tissue (wet wt.).  

Key value for chemical safety assessment

BCF (aquatic species):
1 900 L/kg ww

Additional information

The Key Study conducted by Takahashi and Blanchard (1974), yielding a whole-body BCF of 1900 L/kg (ww), is based on total accumulated radioactivity in whole fish, and thus represents a worst-case representation of bioconcentration in fish.The Supporting Study of Neely et al. (1974) derives a steady-state BCF value of 438 in trout, which is based on measured biphenyl concentrations in exposure water and in edible fish fillet tissue (wet wt.). Two other relevant and reliable studies are reported, describing accumulation of total applied radioactivity as biphenyl in oyster and in trout. The study of Williams et al. provides a similar total radioactivity/total weight BCF value of 2422 L/kg in oyster. The measurement of biphenyl in tissues sampled after 28 days exposure indicated a lesser BCF value of 110 L/kg. When placed in biphenyl-free flowing seawater oysters did not eliminate significant amounts of 14C from soft tissues. Of the total 14C activity associated with oyster tissues, 6.5% was identified as parent biphenyl compound, 5.4% as more non-polar materials, and 31.5 % as highly polar materials (conjugated biphenyl metabolites). 3'- and 4'-hydroxybiphenyl accounted for less than 1% of the total 14C activity. This study was also considered reliable and its results will be used as supporting information.