Naphthalene

Endpoint summary

Additional information

Naphthalene is easily biodegradable in water, sediment and soil under aerobic and denitrifying conditions, but generally biotic decomposition failed under anaerobic conditions. The apparently contradictory outcome of Japanese studies (not biodegradable versus readily biodegradable) indicate that standard testing may lack essential biological capacities that are common in nature. From the entirety of empirical and experimental data, the conclusion can be drawn that naphthalene has not any potential for persistence. Naphthalene is assumed to be rapidly biodegradable most of the time, at least inherently biodegradable under less favorable conditions with no tendency to accumulate in the environment. Furthermore, naphthalene is not bioaccumulating, based on BCF values reported in fish to range between about 40 and about 1200.