3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine

Short-term toxicity to fish

Description of key information

The substance is with high probability acutely not harmful to fish.

Additional information

A 96-h acute toxicity study was conducted according to German Industrial Standard DIN 38412, part 15 which is similar to OECD guideline 203, testing the acute toxicity of 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine (CAS 120-20-7) towards Leuciscus idus (BASF SE, 1989, report no. 10F0747/885014). The concentrations were not analytically verified but the test substance is expected to be stable in water due to the high water solubility (miscible, BASF SE, 2017, report no. 16L00555), the low vapor pressure (VP = 0.035 Pa @ 25 °C, BASF AG, 1991, report no. BRU 91.370) and the low Henry's Law Constant (HLC = 0.00029 Pa m³/mol, @ 25 °C, estimated, BASF SE, 2017).

Without pH-adjustment, the 96-h LC50 was 68.1 mg/L (geometric mean of LC0 and LC100). While no effect was observed in test solutions of 100 mg/L with pH-adjustment which was tested in parallel.

The acceptable pH-range of the test medium for fish is pH 6.0 to 8.5 according to OECD 203. Thus, the mortality in the non-neutralized test solutions is considered to be caused by pH (100 mg/L, without pH-adjustment: initial pH = 9.2). Therefore, the LC50 is higher than 100 mg/L at environmentally relevant pH values.

As this test was performed with the 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine (CAS 120-20-7) itself and is of sufficient reliability, this study was selected as key study for the assessment of the acute toxicity to fish.

As read-across has been performed with two structurally similar substances, the available information is listed here. However, in case of 4-allylveratrole (CAS 93-15-2), the effect values deviate strongly from the target substance. As information on the test conditions are limited and no information is available on pH etc., these results should not be considered for the assessment of short-term effects of the target substance to fish.

 

The acute toxicity of the source chemical 3,4-Dimethoxyphenylacetonitrile (CAS 93-17-4) was studied according the German Industrial Standard DIN 38412, part 15. Test concentrations were not analytically verified. The exposure conditions were static. The 96-h LC50 was greater than 100 mg/L (nominal; 40% mortality at 100 mg/L).

Effect values for 4-allylveratrole (CAS 93-15-2) are available for three fish species. NITE published a 96-h LC50 of 14 mg/L (measured). The test was performed in 2003 according to OECD 203 and GLP. The test concentrations were analytically verified. Further results are available from a review report by Environment Canada (2010). The result was originally published in 1975. The 96-h LC50 for Oncorhynchus mykiss was determined to be 6 mg/L (nominal). The 96-h LC50 for Lepomis macrochirus is 8.1 mg/L (nominal). The results for O. mykiss and L. macrochirus should be disregarded as in a worst-case assessment, the maximum solvent concentration (OECD 203: <=100 mg/L) was exceeded by a factor of 10 (stock solution of 1% and 10% test material dissolved in acetone; max. test concentration: 10 mg/L; max. acetone concentration: 1000 mg/L).

Based on the available information from the target substance at the environmentally relevant conditions, 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine is with high probability acutely not harmful to fish.