2-(methylamino)ethanol, compound with sulphur dioxide

Endpoint summary

Additional information

The test substance is acutely harmful to aquatic organisms.

The inhibition of the degradation activity of activated sludge is not anticipated when introduced in appropriate low concentrations.

The test substance consists of 2-(methylamino)ethanol and sulphur dioxide. Since only aquatic studies on fish and Daphnia magna are available for the test substance, the aquatic toxicity of 2-(methylamino)ethanol, compound with sulphur dioxide to algae has been assessed by evaluating the toxic effects of both test substance compounds separately in a read-across approach.

The acute toxicity of 2-(methylamino)ethanol, compound with sulphur dioxide to the fish species Leuciscus idus was found to be > 500 mg/L after 96 h whereas the examination of toxic effects to Daphnia magna resulted in an EC50 of 70.7 mg/L after 48 hours.

Effects of the read-across substances to fish and Daphnia were found to be in the same ranges as the original test substance. Toxicity testing with 2-(methylamino)ethanol (CAS 109-83-1) resulted in an EC50 (48 h) of 33 mg/L while the fish test revealed an LC50 (96 h) of > 100 mg/L. Similar results were retrieved from toxicity testing with the sulphite category members: a study on short-term toxicity to fish resulted in a LC50 > 100 mg SO₃^2-/L and testing with aquatic invertebrates resulted in an EC50 of 74.9 mg SO₃^2-/L.

Aquatic plants turned out to be the most sensitive organisms during toxicity testing with 2-(methylamino) ethanol and sodium sulphite alike, resulting in ErC50 values of 28.1 mg/L and 36.8 mg SO₃^2-/L, respectively.

Concerning long-term toxicity, the hazard assessment is based on information retrieved from the read-across substances sodium sulphite (CAS 7757-83-7) and disodium disulphite (CAS 7681-57-4). The studies which asses chronic toxicity to fish and Daphnia both provide NOECs > 1 mg SO₃^{2 -}/L.