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Long-term toxicity to fish

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Description of key information

The NOEC (34 days) of 2-phenoxyethanol in an early-life stage toxicity test with Pimephales promelas was determined to be 24 mg/L.

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Fresh water fish

Fresh water fish
Effect concentration:
24 mg/L

Additional information

A test on early life-stage toxicity of 2-phenoxyethanol to embryos, larvae and juvenile fish of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) was performed according to OECD guideline 210 and EPA-FIFRA guidelines (BASF 2005). Fertilized eggs were exposed to following (nominal) concentrations of 2-phenoxyethanol (purity > 99.9%) under flow-through conditions for 34 days: 0, 10, 23, 50, 110 and 220 mg a.i./L. Test parameters were mortality of embryos, number of surviving larvae, survival of young fish, time to hatch and swim-up, toxic sign (symptoms) and abnormalities, and weight and total length of surviving fish.
In conclusion, the NOEC for survival was 23 mg/L (nominal concentration) and 24 mg/L (based on the mean analytically determined concentration), and the LOEC was 50 mg/L (nominal concentration) and 51.3 mg/L (analytical concentration). For sublethal effects, the NOEC was 110 mg/L and 105.5 mg/L for nominal and analytical concentration, respectively, while the LOEC was 220 mg/L and 215 mg/L for nominal and analytical concentration, respectively. For the development of body weight, the NOEC was 50 mg/L and 51.3 mg/L for nominal and analytical concentration, respectively, and the LOEC was 110 mg/L (nominal) and 105.5 mg/L (analytical). For development of body length of the surviving fish at the end of the exposure period, the NOEC and LOEC values equal those from development of body weight
.

A supporting study according to OECD 212 with Danio rerio (fertilized eggs and embryonal stages) found an LC50 of 486 ± 26 mg/L when treated with five concentrations of 2-phenoxyethanol in a semi-static system (Macova et al. 2008).