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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.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

Administrative data

Description of key information

The limited repeat dose toxicity data on specific streams identified for this category (oral toxicity studies for CAS 68477-54-3 [Low Dicyclopentadiene

Resin Oil] and CAS 648478-10-4 [Dicyclopentadiene/Codimer Concentrate] provided no evidence of significant target organ toxicity. However, there are substantial data on the repeated dose toxicity of a number of specific constituents benzene, toluene, styrene and ethylbenzene present in some streams which demonstrate significant target organ toxicity. Classification will be required for streams that contain concentrations greater than or equal to 1% (benzene) or 10% (toluene).

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Additional information

Repeated dose toxicity data on Resin Oils and Cyclic Diene streams is limited oral OECD guideline 422 (Combined Repeated Dose Toxicity Study with the Reproduction / Developmental Toxicity Screening Test) studies on two streams - CAS 68477-54-3 [Low Dicyclopentadiene Resin Oil] and CAS 848478-10-4 [Dicyclopentadiene/Codimer Concentrate].

CAS 68477-54-3 [Low Dicyclopentadiene Resin Oil]: Oral doses of 0, 35, 125, or 375 mg/Kg/day were administered once daily for 29 or 30 days. At 375 mg/Kg/day clinical signs of toxicity, lower body weight and food consumption and histopathological changes were observed. In addition, effects on body weight, clinical signs and food consumption were observed in males at 125 mg/Kg/day. The NOAEL for systemic toxicity was 35 mg/Kg/day in male and 125 mg/Kg/day in female rats.

CAS 648478-10-4 [Dicyclopentadiene/Codimer Concentrate]: Oral gavage doses of 0, 5, 25, or 100 mg/Kg/day were administered once daily for 29 or 30 days. The only toxicologically significant treatment-related effects were histopathological changes in the thyroid (follicular cell hypertrophy) at 25 and 100 mg/Kg/day in both males and females. The NOAEL for systemic toxicity was 5 mg/Kg/day in male and female rats.

LOA Metabolomics/14 -day Repeat-Dose Studies

As part of LOA’s commitment (detailed in the Test Proposal attached to Section 13) to get further data to support the read across strategy for resin oils and cyclic dienes (LOA Category L),  LOA commissioned  the work at BASF SE and BASF Metabolome Solutions GmbH.

LOA received the initial results of the 14-day oral rat studies on 12 streams from category L as well as 6 constituent substances at a high and a low dose in December 2019. These includes  clinical chemistry, pathology etc.  as well as the initial  metabolome analysis on blood taken from both dose groups. 

In 2020 the analyses have continued, and have been further linked to analytical data on the streams tested. Following these analyses, it has been decided to run two further streams in an 14 day rat oral study for metabolomic profiling. 

 

The initial results suggest that a substance grouping is coherent and that a modification to the Test Proposal may be valid.   

 

LOA expect to have the final reports and conclusions in quarter 4 of 2020. This registration dossier will be updated with this information as soon as it is available.

The available data on the specific constituents dicyclopentadiene and xylenes do not reveal any specific target organ toxicity of a severity that would warrant classification. Therefore no classification or labelling is warranted for streams that only contain these constituents.

3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-4,7-methanoindene (DCPD, dicyclopentadiene) is not classified for repeat dose toxicity under CLP. While some effects were seen in repeat dose studies, these are believed to be due to chronic irritation of the lungs and gastrointestinal tract with secondary stress-related effects rather specific target organ toxicity. DCPD is irritating; therefore it is biologically plausible that the mortality is mostly attributable to respiratory and gastric irritation effects rather than systemic effects. Liver effects seen in the rat oral study were not considered sufficient to warrant classification. Repeated exposure inhalation studies in rodents show mortality at levels that would be predicted by their LC50s, and appears related to respiratory irritation/portal-of-entry effects. The original Bushy Run 90-day study showed mortality in the mice at 276 mg/m3. The LC50 in mice is about half that of rats, which might be expected for a respiratory irritant (higher ventilation rate in the mouse).

Other specific constituents which have been identified as present in some streams are benzene, toluene, styrene and ethylbenzene. These are identified as producing serious target organ toxicity following repeated oral, dermal or inhalation exposures in animals and man:

Benzene (Classification: GHS/CLP - STOT-RE Category 1, H372): After repeated dose exposure via oral or inhalation routes, benzene causes adverse effects on the haematopoietic system of animals and man. The oral LOAEL was 25 mg/Kg bw/day for male and female mice (NTP, 1986) and the inhalation LOAEC for haematotoxicity in mice is 10 ppm (32 mg/m3) (Ward et al, 1985). In humans, a recent study of petroleum distribution workers exposed to relatively low levels of benzene (Schnatter et al., 2012) reported associations between myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and benzene exposure, however while the association appeared to be reasonably robust, it was difficult to ascribe a precise dose/response relationship. For humans, therefore, a NOAEC of 3.5 ppm (11.2 mg/m3) is obtained based on the 95% LCL for the threshold level of neutrophils, the most sensitive endpoint reported by Schnatter et al (2010).

Toluene (Classification: GHS/CLP - STOT-RE Category 2, H373): Toluene exposure can produce central nervous system pathology in animals after high oral doses. Repeated inhalation exposure can produce ototoxicity in the rat and high concentrations are associated with local toxicity (nasal erosion). In humans neuropsychological effects and disturbances of auditory function and colour vision have been reported, particularly when exposures are not well controlled and/or associated with noisy environments. The NOAEC for subchronic oral toxicity in rats is 625 mg/Kg/day based on neuropathology (Huff, 1990). The NOAEC for inhalation toxicity in the rat is 300 ppm (1131 mg/m3) based on effects on body weight, mortality and adverse local effects (nasal erosion) (Gibson and Hardisty, 1983). The NOAEC for neuropsychological effects, auditory dysfunction and disturbances of colour vision in humans is 26 ppm (98 mg/m3) (Seeber et al, 2004); Schaper et al, 2003, 2004).

Styrene (

STOT RE 1, H372 (target organ: hearing organs): Inhalation studies in animals have reported damage to the nasal olfactory epithelium in rats and mice, liver damage in mice, eye irritation in rats and guinea pigs, ototoxicity in rats and impaired nerve conduction velocity. The EU transitional RAR has identified a NOAEC of 50 ppm in humans based on color vision discrimination effects in occupationally exposed workers.

Ethylbenzene (S

TOT RE 1, H372 (target organ: hearing organs): No repeated dose toxicity studies in humans have been identified. The EU transitional RAR (EU, 2008a) concluded "Repeat-dose or prolonged exposure to ethylbenzene specifically affected the nervous system, but did not induce overt toxicity of any other organ system." The auditory system is the most sensitive to the toxic effects of ethylbenzene after inhalation exposure (Gagnaire et al, 2007) while the liver is the most sensitive following oral exposure (Mellert et al, 2006). The LOAEL for ototoxicity was 200 ppm (868 mg/m3) and the NOAEL for hepatotoxicity was 75 mg/Kg/day in a 13 week oral gavage study in rats.

Reference

EU (2008a). Draft Risk Assessment Report for Ethylbenzene. http://echa.europa.eu/doc/trd_substances/ethylbenzene/rar/trd_rar_germany_ethylbenzene.pdf

Justification for classification or non-classification

There are sufficient data available to conclude that streams within this class which contain less than 1% benzene and less than 10% toluene do not require classification for this endpoint.

Streams which contain ≥1% but less than 10% benzene should be classified as Cat 2, H373 according to Reg (EC) 1272/2008; streams containing ≥10% benzene should be classified as Cat 1, H372 according to Reg (EC) 1272/2008.

Streams which contain ≥10% toluene should be classified as Cat 2, H373 according to Reg (EC) 1272/2008.