Ethyl methacrylate

Short-term toxicity to fish

Description of key information

Acute fish: 96 hr LC50 100 mg/L Salmo gairdneri (new name: Oncorhynchus mykiss)  

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Fresh water fish

Fresh water fish

Effect concentration:

100 mg/L

Additional information

For ethyl methacrylate the study in Onchorynchus mykiss showed a 96 -hr LC50 of 100 mg/L. Data are available for the lower alkyl methacrylates category which indicate a trend of increasing toxicity (96 h LC₅₀) from the acid and the methyl ester to the ester with the longest side chain in the category, 2‑EHMA. See the following table:

Summary of short-term effects on fish

Ester	Fish Species	LC50(mg/l)	Exposure time	Study Type	Remarks	Reference
MAA	Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)	85^b	96 h	EPA guideline 660/ 3-75-009^a	Rel. 1	Bowman, 1990a
MMA	Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)	>79^b	96 h	EPA guideline 660/ 3-75-009^a	Rel. 1	Bowman, 1990b
EMA	Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)	100^b, c	96 h	OECD 203 (flow-through)	Rel. 1	Sousa, 1995a
i-BMA	Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)	20^b, c	96 h	OECD 203 (flow-through)	Rel. 1	Sousa, 1995b
n-BMA	Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas)	11^b	96 h	OECD 203 (flow-through)	Rel. 2	Morris, 1993
n-BMA	Medaka  (Oryzias latipes)	5.57^b, c	96 h	OECD 203  (semi-static 24 h)	Rel. 1	MoE, 1998a
2-EHMA	Medaka  (Oryzias latipes)	2.78^b, c, d)	96 h	OECD 203 (semi-static 24 h)	Rel. 2	MoE, 1998b

^aequivalent to OECD 203;^bbased on measured concentrations;^cdispersant used;^dmost test concentrations were above the limit of solubility.