Registration Dossier
Registration Dossier
Data platform availability banner - registered substances factsheets
Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.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
Use of this information is subject to copyright laws and may require the permission of the owner of the information, as described in the ECHA Legal Notice.
EC number: 231-152-8 | CAS number: 7440-43-9
- 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://poisoncentres.echa.europa.eu/o/diss-blank-theme/images/factsheets/A-REACH/factsheet/print_environmental-fate-and-pathways.png)
Endpoint summary
Administrative data
Description of key information
Additional information
Aquatic bioaccumulation
There is a number of data available on the possible accumulation of cadmium in aquatic organisms.
BCF in fish are generally below the criterion for considering a substance bioaccumulative.
Higher BCF /BAF factors are observed in the lower levels of the food chain (algae notably). However, there are some uncertainties with the data: the high BCF/BAF factors observed in the algae are (at least partly) due to external absorption, not to uptake. In general, algae data are not considered in a context of bioaccumulation. The higher levels in invertebrates may be related to lack of gut clearance of the organisms studied.
In terms of hazard identification/classification, several considerations speak further against considering Cd as bioaccumulative substance:
-the BCF/BAF values observed with Cd consistently decrease with increasing exposure, which clearly shows some level of physiological regulation of uptake. One of the key theoretical conditions of the BCF model in terms of its relevance for chronic toxicity and applicability to the hazard identification/classification of chemicals is that the BCF/BAF should be independent of exposure. BCF/BAF values should in other words remain fairly constant over a range of exposures, which is clearly not the case for Cd.
-Evidence related to biomagnification in the aquatic food chain consistently shows that Cd is not biomagnifying.
Based on an extensive review of evidence on a wide variability of taxonomic groups, McGeer et al (2003) concluded that the BCF/BAF criteria, as conceived for organic substances, are inappropriate for the hazard identification and classification of metals, including Cd. They highlighted the inconsistency between BCF/BAF values and toxicological data, as BCF values are highest (suggesting hazard) at low exposure concentrations and are lowest (indicating no hazard) at the highest exposure concentrations, were toxicity is likely.
The following information is taken into account for any hazard / risk / bioaccumulation assessment:
In general, BCF and BAF data show an inverse relationship to exposure concentrations.
BCF in fish are generally below the criterion for considering a substance bioaccumulative. The risk assessment mentions a median BAF for vertebrates of 167.
Terrestrial bioaccumulation
The EU Risk assessment (ECB 2008) presents BAF values that were calculated from the soil: biota concentration ratio’s. Most organisms are earthworms and the Cd levels were expressed on dry or wet weight basis. All the data on earthworms were obtained from specimens with guts voided prior to analysis.
Cadmium is concentrated from the soil into earthworms organisms (BAF values are all higher than 1). Most important factors affecting the bioaccumulation of Cd by earthworms are the Cd concentration of the soil, soil type, pH, soil organic matter and CEC.
The influence of the Cd content of the soil on the bioaccumulation of Cd is illustrated in most of the studies. Cadmium concentrations in earthworms increase with increasing Cd levels in a non-proportional way. As a result, the BAF observed in Cd-contaminated or Cd-enriched soils is lower than the BAF observed in control soils.
The following information is taken into account for any hazard / risk / bioaccumulation assessment:
Median BAF observed on earthworms is 15 (expressed on a dry weight basis). For arthropoda, the median BAF is 1.4 (summary from the EU risk assessment, ECB 2008). The BAF observed in Cd-contaminated or Cd-enriched soils is lower than the BAF observed in control soils. In a field study, the BAF observed under contaminated conditions on Lumbricus rubellus was 12-123, under control conditions it was 190.
General conclusion
Considering the elements mentioned above, cadmium and its compounds are not considered as bioaccumulative.
In the aquatic compartment, BCF in fish are generally below the criterion for considering a substance bioaccumulative. Cadmium is clearly not bioaccumulative in terrestrial organisms.
In terms of hazard identification/classification, several considerations further confirm this conclusion: substance:
-the BCF/BAF values observed with Cd consistently decrease with increasing exposure, which clearly shows some level of physiological regulation of uptake. One of the key theoretical conditions of the BCF model in terms of its relevance for chronic toxicity and applicability to the hazard identification/classification of chemicals is that the BCF/BAF should be independent of exposure. BCF/BAF values should in other words remain fairly constant over a range of exposures, which is clearly not the case for Cd.
-Evidence related to biomagnification in the aquatic food chain consistently shows that Cd is not biomagnifying.
Based on an extensive review of evidence on a wide variability of taxonomic groups, McGeer et al (2003) concluded that the BCF/BAF criteria, as conceived for organic substances, are inappropriate for the hazard identification and classification of metals, including Cd. They highlighted the inconsistency between BCF/BAF values and toxicological data, as BCF values are highest (suggesting hazard) at low exposure concentrations and are lowest (indicating no hazard) at the highest exposure concentrations, were toxicity is likely.
Information on Registered Substances comes from registration dossiers which have been assigned a registration number. The assignment of a registration number does however not guarantee that the information in the dossier is correct or that the dossier is compliant with Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (the REACH Regulation). This information has not been reviewed or verified by the Agency or any other authority. The content is subject to change without prior notice.
Reproduction or further distribution of this information may be subject to copyright protection. Use of the information without obtaining the permission from the owner(s) of the respective information might violate the rights of the owner.
![ECHA](/o/diss-blank-theme/images/factsheets/A-REACH/factsheet/echa_logo.png)