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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 DD-lactide nor lactic acid will bioaccumulate or bioconcentrate.

Additional information

The log Kow of DD-lactide is 0.4, indicating a very low potential to bioaccumulate. In aqueous environments DD-lactide rapidly hydrolyses into lactic acid. Therefore, the potential of bioaccumulation behaviour of DD-lactide 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 DD-lactide / 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.