Reaction product of mixed inorganic base and acid resulting in dipotassium hydroxytetrafluoro triborontrioxide, potassium trihydroxy fluoroborate, dipotassium tetrahydroxy tetraboronpentaoxide dehydrate in powder form.

Sediment toxicity

Administrative data

Endpoint:

sediment toxicity: long-term

Type of information:

experimental study

Adequacy of study:

weight of evidence

Reliability:

1 (reliable without restriction)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

other: test was carried out in conformity with the draft OECD document , May 1998 "Chironomid testing using spiked sediment" and OECD principles of GLP

Data source

Reference

Reference Type:

study report

Title:

Unnamed

Year:

2000

Materials and methods

Test guideline

Qualifier:

according to guideline

Guideline:

other: OECD draft document, may 1998

Deviations:

yes

Remarks:

the deviations are assumed not to have effected the results of the study.

Principles of method if other than guideline:

egg masses were not obtained from an own TNO culture.
The peat used was autoclaved before preparing the artificial sediment to better enable wetting.
extra nitrite and ammonia determinations were carried out a t=0.14 and 28days to confirm that these parameters did not disturb the results of the tests.
conditioning of the sediment, after mixing of the constituents, lasted 8d and not 7d as stated in Annex A of the protocol
an amendment to the protocol with respect tot the boron analyses was not prepared
according to the guideline the TOC of the artificial sediment should be 2 +/- 0.5% and not 2%
the TOC value in the artificial sediment was 2.73% instead of 2 +/- 0.5%
the pH KCl value of the artificial sediment (being 7.8) was above the intended value of 7.0 +/- 0.5

GLP compliance:

yes (incl. QA statement)

Test material

Test material information

Constituent 1

Reference substance name:

Boric acid

EC Number:

233-139-2

EC Name:

Boric acid

Cas Number:

10043-35-3

Molecular formula:

H3BO3

IUPAC Name:

Boric acid

Details on test material:

- Name of test material (as cited in study report): Boric Acid, manufacturing grade
- Purity test date: +/- 99,9%
- physical appearance: white powder
- solubility in water: 4.7% at 20°C

Sampling and analysis

Analytical monitoring:

yes

Details on sampling:

- quantity: 1000 gram
- received from sponsor
- date of receipt in delft: 18 june 1999
- packing: one litre square polyethylene bottle
- Sample storage conditions before analysis: stored at room temperature, no protection from light

Test substrate

Vehicle:

no

Test organisms

Test organisms (species):

Chironomus riparius

Details on test organisms:

TEST ORGANISM
- Common name: non biting midge
- Source: egg masses were obtained form RIZA in lelystad, the netherlands
- Date of collection: Feb, 16 2000
- the hatched first instar larvae (larvae without hemoglobin) were used for the test



ACCLIMATION
- Acclimation period: Feb 16 --> Feb 19
- Equilibration period = 2 days
- Acclimation conditions : eggs were stored in a refrigerator, at that time they were placed in DSWL-E water for further development.
- Test started on Feb 25, 2000
- Feeding: larvae were fed daily with a dried fish food suspension (Aquariaan, 20g suspended in 100ml ultrapure water).
amount: 100 µl per test vessel, except at t=3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9 days (50 µl was given). The animals were not fed on Sundays, the double amount of food was given on Saturdays.
- The test vessels were covered with pieces of cloth from the 12th days to prevent escaping of emerged midges.

Study design

Study type:

laboratory study

Test type:

static

Water media type:

freshwater

Type of sediment:

artificial sediment

Limit test:

no

Exposure duration

Duration:

28 d

Exposure phase:

total exposure duration

Remarks:

=time needed for emergence of the adults in the control

Test conditions

Test temperature:

20.2 - 20.5 °C

pH:

artificial sediment: 7.8
overlying water: 7.1-8.1

Dissolved oxygen:

> 5.9 mg/l

Nominal and measured concentrations:

- Test substance concentrations: 18, 32, 56, 100, 180 and 320 mg B/kg dry weight of sediment d.w. 4 replicates were used.
- Control group: 32, 100 and 320mg/kg exposure concentrations

Details on test conditions:

TEST SYSTEM
- Test container (material, size): vessel=600mL beakers with diameter ca. 8cm
- Sediment volume: 1.5cm spiked sediment or control sediment/replicate container
- No. of organisms per container (treatment): 5 larvae per test vessel
- No. of replicates per substance concentration: 20 instar larvae
- Test vessels were covered by watch glasses during the test
- Equilibration period: 2 days


SOURCE AND PROPERTIES OF SUBSTRATE (if soil)
- Composition (artificial substrate):
* 5-10% sphagnum peat, finely ground, no visible plant remains (66.4% of dry weight)
* 20% kaolin clay (99% of dry weight)
* 70-75% fine sand (100% of dry weight)
- Dry weight of artificial sediment: 59.6%
- The sediment/water systems were not replaced during the test

PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
- artificial sediment:
pH-KCl = 7.8
TOC content = 2.73g C/100g dry weight
- overlying water:
pH = 7.1-8.1
lowest measured oxygen concentration: 5.9 mg/l
temperatur: 20.2-20.5°C
ammonia and nitrite concentrations were below the critical value for Chironomus riparius


PREPARATION
- Pretreatment of artificial and spiked sediment and of sediment/water exposure systems: prepared from an artificial sediment and the TNO standard water DSWL-E.
- Artificial sediment:dry weight 59.6%
- 4 replicate batches were prepared by mixing portions of 600f of clay, 2175g of sand and 225g of sphagnum peat. The peat was wetted the day before by addition of 1.5L of DSWL-E, followed by autoclaving for 20 minutes at 121°C. The clay and sand part were added together wit 0.5L of DSWL-E and 19g of CaCO3. The mixtures in the jars were homogenised by rolling them for 1 days on a roller bank, the content of the jars were added together, 1L of DSWL-E was added followed by aeration. The sediment was mixed and the dry weight of a sample was determined several times.
- After 8 days the sediment was mixed to obtain a homogenous distribution, before being placed in the exposure vessels and the overlying water was added.
- Sediments were spiked in the test beakers based on the dry sediment weight. For each exposure concentration a number of four replicate containers were separately filled with a layer of ca 1.5cm spiked sediment or controled sediment. For chemical analystical purposes 2 extra vessels were prepared for the control: 32, 100 and 320mg/kg exposure concentration. DSWL-E water was added to obtain a ratio between sediment layer and water column in the range of 1:4. this sediment/water system was allowed to settle for ca. 48h before the test animals were added. the overlying water of the sediment/water systems was slightly aerated during the test, without disturbing the sediment layer.

Results and discussion

Effect concentrations

Effect concentrations 1

Duration:

28 d

Dose descriptor:

NOEC

Effect conc.:

180 mg/kg sediment dw

Nominal / measured:

nominal

Conc. based on:

element

Basis for effect:

mortality

Effect concentrations 2

Duration:

28 d

Dose descriptor:

NOEC

Effect conc.:

180 mg/kg sediment dw

Nominal / measured:

nominal

Conc. based on:

element

Basis for effect:

emergence rate

Details on results:

OBSERVATIONS
- Some turbidity from suspended solids was observed during the test. De turbidity decreased during the test.
- From day 14 some solids were present on the walls of the test vessel; this pfenomenon increased during the remaining period of the test.


CHEMICAL ANALYSES:
- at the end of the test the boron concentrations in pore water and overlying water are similar; equilibrium between overlying water and pore water has been reached.
- at the start of the test the concentrations in pore water are higher than in the overlying water.

TOXICITY DATA
the 28d LC50 is 278 mg B/k dw (nominal), the 28d LOEC for mortality and emergence is 320 mg B/kg dw and the 28d NOEC for mortality and emergence is 180 mg B/kg dw.

Reported statistics and error estimates:

LC50 values and their interval were calculated by means of a parametric model (Kooiman, 1981).
Emergence data are arcsin transformed and the Dunnett test (sign level 99%) was used to detect significant differences with the control.

Any other information on results incl. tables

28d LOEC: 320 mg/kg (mortality & emergence)

28d LC50: 278 mg/kg

nominal conc. of mg B/kg sediment dw emerged larvae at the end of the testmale female total %0 34 42 76 95 18 34 44 78 98 32 36 37 73 91 56 35 43 78 98 100 34 44 78 98 180 42 37 79 99 320 1 1 2 2.5

Applicant's summary and conclusion

Validity criteria fulfilled:

yes

Conclusions:

The test was carried out in conformity with the draft OECD document and OECD principles of GLP.
The test is well described.