Registration Dossier
Registration Dossier
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EC number: 200-824-2 | CAS number: 74-95-3
Endpoint summary
Administrative data
Description of key information
Additional information
Halomethanes are naturally occurring substance which are produced and consumed by aquatic microorganizms.
The study of Goodwin et al. presents bacterial oxidation of dibromomethane and methyl bromide in natural waters and enrichment cultures.
Biodegradation of dibromomethane was studied by Goodwin et al. in different natural water sources and salinity (fresh water, marine and hypersaline water). In this study biodegradation of dibromomethane occur almost at the same rate with half-life value of 2 days even in severe conditions (hypersaline water).
In the article of Tabak et. al. a series of halomethanes biodegradation were studied (for example: bromochlormethane, methylenechloride, bromoform etc.).
The halomethanes biodegradation results (Dichloromethane, bromochloromethane) presented in Tabak’s article further support the results of Goodwin study using read across approach. Dichloromethane, bromochloromethane and dibromomethane are three haloalkanes isomers having the general formula CH2XX’ where X = Cl, Br and X’=Cl, Br. Based on structural similarity between the molecules read across approach is performed. Dichloromethane and bromochloromethane undergo biodegradation under experimental conditions.
Rapid biodegradation in a timeframe that is competitive with volatilization has been demonstrated in natural water samples by Goodwin et al. In addition, the paper by Tabak et al. presents that the analogue bromochloromethane exhibited “significant biodegradation with rapid adaptation”; the observed loss of this compound to volatilization during this study was 3% at 10 mg/L and 11% at 5 mg/L. Bromochloromethane has a Henry’s Law constant of 1.48 x10-3atm m3/mole (EPIWIN v4.10 experimental database), whereas the reported Henry’s Law constant for dibromomethane is 8.22x10-4atm m3/mole. Comparison of the Henry’s Law constant values suggests that dibromomethane should volatilize more slowly from water than does the analogue (bromochloromethane). Although volatilization of dibromomethane is a competing process with biodegradation, it does not appear to preclude biodegradation as an important fate process for this chemical.
Even in severe conditions such as hypersaline water dibromomethane biodegrade fast with very short half-life of 2 days. Based on the above, biodegradation of dibromomethane is a significant factor in the ultimate environmental fate and dibromomethane can be considered readily biodegradable.
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