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EC number: 205-410-5 | CAS number: 140-29-4
- Life Cycle description
- Uses advised against
- Endpoint summary
- Appearance / physical state / colour
- Melting point / freezing point
- Boiling point
- Density
- Particle size distribution (Granulometry)
- Vapour pressure
- Partition coefficient
- Water solubility
- Solubility in organic solvents / fat solubility
- Surface tension
- Flash point
- Auto flammability
- Flammability
- Explosiveness
- Oxidising properties
- Oxidation reduction potential
- Stability in organic solvents and identity of relevant degradation products
- Storage stability and reactivity towards container material
- Stability: thermal, sunlight, metals
- pH
- Dissociation constant
- Viscosity
- Additional physico-chemical information
- Additional physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials
- Nanomaterial agglomeration / aggregation
- Nanomaterial crystalline phase
- Nanomaterial crystallite and grain size
- Nanomaterial aspect ratio / shape
- Nanomaterial specific surface area
- Nanomaterial Zeta potential
- Nanomaterial surface chemistry
- Nanomaterial dustiness
- Nanomaterial porosity
- Nanomaterial pour density
- Nanomaterial photocatalytic activity
- Nanomaterial radical formation potential
- Nanomaterial catalytic activity
- Endpoint summary
- Stability
- Biodegradation
- Bioaccumulation
- Transport and distribution
- Environmental data
- Additional information on environmental fate and behaviour
- Ecotoxicological Summary
- Aquatic toxicity
- Endpoint summary
- Short-term toxicity to fish
- Long-term toxicity to fish
- Short-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Long-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Toxicity to aquatic algae and cyanobacteria
- Toxicity to aquatic plants other than algae
- Toxicity to microorganisms
- Endocrine disrupter testing in aquatic vertebrates – in vivo
- Toxicity to other aquatic organisms
- Sediment toxicity
- Terrestrial toxicity
- Biological effects monitoring
- Biotransformation and kinetics
- Additional ecotoxological information
- Toxicological Summary
- Toxicokinetics, metabolism and distribution
- Acute Toxicity
- Irritation / corrosion
- Sensitisation
- Repeated dose toxicity
- Genetic toxicity
- Carcinogenicity
- Toxicity to reproduction
- Specific investigations
- Exposure related observations in humans
- Toxic effects on livestock and pets
- Additional toxicological data
![](https://echa.europa.eu./o/diss-blank-theme/images/factsheets/A-REACH/factsheet/print_toxicological-information.png)
Acute Toxicity: oral
Administrative data
- Endpoint:
- acute toxicity: oral
- Type of information:
- experimental study
- Adequacy of study:
- key study
- Study period:
- 1981
- Reliability:
- 2 (reliable with restrictions)
- Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:
- other: 2.e: study sufficiently documented, based on a good principle. Confusion on a meaning of lethal dose but quality of overall investigation good.
Data source
Reference
- Reference Type:
- publication
- Title:
- Toxicity of benzyl cyanide in the rat
- Author:
- Guest A., Jackson J.R. and James S.P.
- Year:
- 1 982
- Bibliographic source:
- Toxicology letters, 10, 265-272.
Materials and methods
- Principles of method if other than guideline:
- Three different doses of benzyl cyanide were administered orally to Wistar rats (three male) and their mortality, behaviour and excretion of cyanide and thiocyanide were followed to estimate lethal oral doses.
- GLP compliance:
- not specified
- Test type:
- standard acute method
- Limit test:
- no
Test material
- Reference substance name:
- Phenylacetonitrile
- EC Number:
- 205-410-5
- EC Name:
- Phenylacetonitrile
- Cas Number:
- 140-29-4
- Molecular formula:
- C8H7N
- IUPAC Name:
- 2-phenylacetonitrile
- Details on test material:
- - Name of test material (as cited in study report): benzyl cyanide
- Physical state: liquid
- Analytical purity:99.5 %
No further information
Constituent 1
Test animals
- Species:
- rat
- Strain:
- Wistar
- Sex:
- male/female
- Details on test animals or test system and environmental conditions:
- TEST ANIMALS
- Source: Birmingham Wistar rat
- Housing: individual housing
- Diet (e.g. ad libitum):Heygates oxoid powdered diet ad libitum
- Water (e.g. ad libitum): ad libitum
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
- Temperature (°C): constant
- Air changes (per hr):
- Photoperiod (hrs dark / hrs light): normal light cycle
no further data
Administration / exposure
- Route of administration:
- oral: gavage
- Vehicle:
- corn oil
- Remarks:
- mazola
- Details on oral exposure:
- No further information
- Doses:
- 58, 152, 210 and 304 mg/Kg bw
- No. of animals per sex per dose:
- Three
- Control animals:
- yes
- Details on study design:
- - Duration of observation period following administration: 3 days
- Frequency of observations and weighing: daily
- Necropsy of survivors performed: yes
- Other examinations performed: clinical signs, body weight,organ weights
No further information - Statistics:
- None reported
Results and discussion
Effect levelsopen allclose all
- Sex:
- female
- Dose descriptor:
- approximate LD50
- Effect level:
- 210 mg/kg bw
- Based on:
- test mat.
- Remarks on result:
- other: lethal oral dose is assumed to be related to LD50 since the authors compares it to a median lethal dose
- Sex:
- male
- Dose descriptor:
- approximate LD50
- Effect level:
- 304 mg/kg bw
- Based on:
- test mat.
- Remarks on result:
- other: lethal oral dose is assumed to be related to LD50 since the authors compares it to a median lethal dose
- Clinical signs:
- other: Initial phase of immobility lasting 10-15 min followed by an increase in activity and irritability. Then uncoordinated movements appeared and some animals exhibited hind limb paralysis. Nasal haemorrhage before death
- Gross pathology:
- No data
- Other findings:
- No further data
Applicant's summary and conclusion
- Interpretation of results:
- Toxicity Category III
- Remarks:
- Migrated information Criteria used for interpretation of results: EU
- Conclusions:
- The authors tested the acute toxicity potential of benzyl cyanide after oral administration in rats. in the test conditions, the authors found lethal oral doses of 210 and 304 mg/Kg bw for female and male rats respectively.
Based on the CLP criteria, benzyl cyanide should then be considered as an acute oral toxicity category 3. - Executive summary:
The authors of this study investigated the acute oral potential of benzyl cyanide (CAS n° 140 -29 -4) on male and female Wistar rats. The metabolism and the most likely route of elimination of benzyl cyanide was also investigated. The study ambitionned to delineate the toxicity mehcanisms of benzyl cyanide. Hence four groups of three rats were exposed orally to 58, 152, 210 and 304 mg/Kg bw respectively formulated in corn oil. Urinary volume, excretion of metabolites, distribution of cyanide in the body, main clinical signs and mortality was monitored to establish oral lethal dose. Survivals if any were sacrificed for the metabolism experiment to collect organs and tissue for cyanide dosage.
In the test conditions, the authors found that benzyl cyanide has lethal oral doses of 210 and 304 mg/Kg bw for female and male rats respectively. Animals exhibited an initial phase of immobility lasting 10-15 min followed by an increase in activity and irritability. Then uncoordinated movements appeared and some animals showed hind limb paralysis. Nasal haemorrhage occured before death.
This study is quite well documented and based on a good principle. There is a little confusion on the proper meaning of lethal doses but provided the overall quality of the investigation, this study is considered as reliable with restrictions, a Klimisch 2.e.
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