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Environmental fate & pathways

Endpoint summary

Administrative data

Description of key information

Due to considerations of degradability, metabolism, and hydrophobicity, it can safely be stated that neither dilactide nor lactic acid will bioaccumulate or bioconcentrate.

Additional information

The log Kow of dilactide is 0.4, indicating a very low potential to bioaccumulate. In aqueous environments dilactide rapidly hydrolyses into lactic acid. Therefore, the potential of bioaccumulation behaviour of dilactide in the environment can be understood in terms of the bioaccumulation behaviour of lactic acid. Lactic acid with an octanol-water partition coefficient (log Kow) of -0.54, is not expected to significantly bioaccumulate or to cross the cell membrane. Furthermore, lactic acid is readily biodegradable and of high water solubility.

As dilactide / lactic acid is not surface active and other mechanisms driving bioaccumulation could not be identified, its bioaccumulation potential is solely based on the log Kow and thus regarded as low.