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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.

The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.

Diss Factsheets

Administrative data

Description of key information

No data are available on skin and eye irritating properties of isolated (anhydrous) sodium dibenzyldithiocarbamate. However, as the substance is manufactured and marketed by the registrant solely as a saturated (ca. 17%) aqueous solution, an exposure to pure substance is not expected to be possible. Therefore for the risk assessment purposes it is considered to be acceptable and in fact more relevant to use skin and eye irritation data on the substance as manufactured. 
Sodium dibenzyldithiocarbamate (SBEC) in 16.9% aqueous solution was not irritating to rabbit skin in a GLP-compliant OECD 404 Guideline study. Results of GLP-compliant OECD 405 Guideline study indicated that the substance elicits risk of serious damage to eyes.

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Skin irritation / corrosion

Endpoint conclusion
Endpoint conclusion:
no adverse effect observed (not irritating)

Eye irritation

Endpoint conclusion
Endpoint conclusion:
adverse effect observed (irritating)

Additional information

No data on skin and eye irritating properties of isolated (anhydrous) sodium dibenzyldithiocarbamate are available. However, the substance is solely manufactured and marketed by the registrant as a saturated aqueous solution (ca. 17% w/w) and it is not expected that exposure to pure substance is possible. Therefore for the risk assessment it is considered to be acceptable and in fact more relevant to use skin and eye irritation data on the substance as manufactured.

Skin-irritating properties of sodium dibenzyldithiocarbamate (SBEC) in 16.9% aqueous solution were studied in a GLP-compliant study with rabbits (Life Science Research Ltd, 1992b), performed according to OECD Guideline 404. Very slight or well defined erythema and very slight oedema were observed at the test sites of two rabbits during the fisrt 24 or 48 hours after bandange removal. Very slight erythema alone was evident at the 72 hours examination. The mean erythema and oedema scores for 3 animals, calculated for 24 + 48 + 72 hours were 0.9 and 0.47, respectively. Based on these results, sodium dibenzyldithiocarbamate in its marketed form is considered to be not irritating to rabbit skin. It should be noted that no information on skin irritating properties of the pure (anhydrous) substance can be derived from these results. One study on eye irritation with sodium dibenzyldithiocarbamate in i16.9% aqueous solution, performed in accordance with OECD Guideline 405 and under GLP, was available for assessment (Life Science Research Ltd, 1992c). Instillation of the test material caused a moderate initial pain response. A diffuse crimson-red appearance of the conjunctiva, very slight chemosis and a substantial discharge were evident throughout the first 72 hours following instillation. Slight opacity, covering up to the entire corneal surface, and iritis were observed at this time. At the end of the first week of observation, injection of the conjunctival blood vessels and slight corneal opacity persisted; the opacity resolved by the fourteenth day after treatment, but the conjunctival change persisted to termination. The average scores for corneal opacity, iritis, conjunctival redness and chemosis, calculated over all animals for 24 + 48 + 72 hours, were 1, 1, 2 and 1, respectively. Based on the persistence of ocular changes which lasted until the end of the observation period, the substance is considered to induce serious damage to eyes.

Effects on eye irritation: irritating

Justification for classification or non-classification

Based on the erythema and edema scores of 0.9 and 0.47 respectively, the substance in its marketed form (as ca. 17% aqueous solution) does not need to be classified as skin irritant, according to the EU Directive 67/548/EEC and EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP) Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008.

Based on the persistence of the ocular changes (diffuse crimson-red appearance of conjuntiva) at the end of the observation period, the substance should be classified as causing risk of serious damage to eyes (Xi, R41) in accordance with EU Directive 67/548/EEC. In accordance with EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP) Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 it needs to be classified as Category 1, H318 (causes serious eye damage).

It should be stated that this classification and labeling are not applicable for the isolated substance; however, as the substance is solely manufactured and marketed as saturated (ca. 17%) aqueous solution, the classification as reported above is considered to be acceptable.