Tetradecanol

Toxicity to terrestrial arthropods

Link to relevant study record(s)

Reference

Endpoint:

toxicity to terrestrial arthropods: short-term

Type of information:

experimental study

Adequacy of study:

supporting study

Reliability:

4 (not assignable)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

documentation insufficient for assessment

Remarks:

Study conducted according to a non Guideline protocol; not GLP; no analytical monitoring; moisture level low; no information on test item equilibration with the soil.

Qualifier:

according to guideline

Guideline:

other: Lokke and van Gestel 1998

Deviations:

no

Qualifier:

equivalent or similar to guideline

Guideline:

other: OECD 207(Earthworm, Acute Toxicity Tests)

Deviations:

yes

Remarks:

see below

Principles of method if other than guideline:

The test reduced moisture content of soil respect to the OECD guideline, 15-20% rather than 20-30%, but the authors of the report thought that this would make no difference to the survival of organisms due to the short duration of the test.

GLP compliance:

not specified

Application method:

soil

Analytical monitoring:

no

Vehicle:

yes

Details on preparation and application of test substrate:

- Method of mixing into soil: sand spike. This involved adding an appropriate amount of compound to analar grade acetone to form a stock solution for the 1000 mg/kg dose. Aliquots of the stock solution were then diluted with acetone to prepare lower doses. Acetone solutions were added to silica sand in glass jars. Mixtures were mixed thoroughly with a stainless steel spatula. The acetone was left to evaporate in a fume cupboard, leaving the test item coated onto the sand. Appropriate amount of moist soil was added to each of the glass jars. The dosed or undosed sand was incorporated into the bulk of the soil using a paletted knife. Jars were then sealed with screw top lids containing aluminium foil inserts and tumbled overnight (ca. 16 h) on a rotary soil tumbler 50 rpm.

- Controls: One aliquot of sand was dosed with acetone only to serve as solvent control. A jar with an aliquot of sand only served as untreated control - both with the appropriate amount of moist soil added thereafter.

- Chemical name of vehicle: acetone

- Concentration of vehicle in test medium: acetone solutions was added between 1-7 ml to 5-35g of silica sand. The sand was left to evaporate the acetone completely before initial exposure, so that the concentration of vehicle would be negligible.

- Evaporation of vehicle before use: yes

Test organisms (species):

Folsomia candida

Animal group:

Collembola (soil-dwelling springtail)

Details on test organisms:

TEST ORGANISM

- Common name: springtail

- Source: Centre of Ecology and Hydrology, Monks Wood, Cambridgeshire, UK

- Age at test initiation (mean and range, SD): 10-12 days old

ACCLIMATION

- Acclimation period: not specified.

- Acclimation conditions (same as test or not): similar to test

Study type:

laboratory study

Limit test:

no

Total exposure duration:

7 d

Test temperature:

range: 17.7 to 20 deg C

pH (if soil or dung study):

5.4.

Photoperiod and lighting:

16/8 hour daylight/darkness regime

Details on test conditions:

TEST SYSTEM

- Test container (material, size): 120 ml clear glass powder jars, sealed with a screw top lid

- Amount of soil or substrate: 30 g wet weight soil

- No. of organisms per container (treatment): 10

- No. of replicates per treatment group: 3

- No. of replicates per control: 3

- No. of replicates per vehicle control: 3


SOURCE AND PROPERTIES OF SUBSTRATE

- Geographic location: Heath Farm, Leicester Lane, LandLook (Midlands), Leamington Spa, from Dr Graham Beard. OS map reference 32896926.

- Pesticide use history at the collection site: assumed to be pesticide free, as the field the soil was taken from land that had been set aside for 3-4 years.

- Collection procedures: the soil was sieved to 2 mm.

- Sampling depth (cm): 5-20cm to avoid surface root mat

- Soil texture

- % sand: 63.8%-64.8%

- Soil classification: sandy loam soil. The soil is described as soil series, Bomsgrove, standard soil number 33, variant.

- Organic carbon (%): 1.3%

- Maximum water holding capacity: ca. 40%

- Pretreatment of soil: the soil was treated with gamma radiation (27 KGy) in order to kill the indigenous nematodes and potential predators. However observation from extracted fresh soil indicated that interference from the indigenous population was likely to be insignificant. Consequently, the definitive test was carried out using unsterilised soil.

- Storage: stored in closed black plastic bags at 4 degC until required.


EFFECT PARAMETERS MEASURED: mortality (immobilisation) at the end of the test


VEHICLE CONTROL PERFORMED: yes


TEST CONCENTRATIONS

- Spacing factor for test concentrations: 3

- Range finding study

- Test concentrations: 10, 100, 100 mg/kg

- Results used to determine the conditions for the definitive study: 7d EC50 100-100 mg/kg

Nominal and measured concentrations:

Nominal concentrations: 0, 300, 1000 mg/kg

Reference substance (positive control):

yes

Remarks:

dimethoate

Duration:

7 d

Dose descriptor:

EC50

Effect conc.:

530 mg/kg soil dw

Nominal / measured:

nominal

Conc. based on:

test mat.

Basis for effect:

other: immobility

Remarks on result:

other: (420-660)

Details on results:

- Mortality at end of exposure period: 100% at the highest concentration tested. See Table 1 for details.

Results with reference substance (positive control):

- Results with reference substance valid? yes

- Relevant effect levels: EC50 3.1 mg/kg

Table 1. Summary of findings.

Dose (mg/kg dw soil)	Number of F. candida		% effect
	live	dead/missing
Control	10	0	0
	10	0	0
	10	0	0
Acetone control	10	0	0
	9	1	10
	10	0	0
300	8	2	20
	7	3	30
	10	0	0
1000	0	10	100
	2	8	80
	2	8	80

Validity criteria fulfilled:

yes

Conclusions:

A 7 d EC50 value of 530 mg/kg dw soil has been determined for the effects of tetradecanol on population numbers of the springtail F. candida.

Additional information

Short-term toxicity

A 7 d EC₅₀ value of 530 mg/kg dw soil (1.3% organic carbon) has been determined for the effects of the test substance on population numbers of the Fulsomia candida (Shell, 2004).

This study reflects the only value that is available for this endpoint, though it is of non assignable reliability.

This data is considered to be indicative only (non assignable reliability) and not suitable for quantitative application as part of the chemical safety assessment.

Long-term toxicity

In accordance with Column 2 of REACH Annex X, long-term toxicity testing with terrestrial invertebrates (required in Section 9.4.4) is not needed as the chemical safety assessment according to Annex I indicates that this is not necessary.

Moreover, considerable technical difficulties would be expected in the conduct of such a test, due to the very rapid biotic removal of the substance from the test system. Please refer to discussion of the long-term aquatic invertebrate and fish studies, and evidence of rapid removal in non-sterilised soils during method development for the adsorption/desorption study with natural soils , carried out with the close structural analogue decan-1-ol, in the environmental fate section.