Macrocyclic fragrance materials--a screening-level environmental assessment using chemical categorization

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecotoxicology
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Macrocyclic fragrance materials are widely used.
• Assessing their environmental impact requires understanding exposure and effects.
• A group approach simplifies risk assessment for numerous similar chemicals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a screening-level aquatic environmental risk assessment for 30 macrocyclic fragrance ingredients.
• To evaluate the risk posed by two subgroups: macrocyclic ketones and macrocyclic lactones/lactides.
• To determine if current usage volumes present a risk to aquatic ecosystems in Europe and North America.

Main Methods:

• A "group approach" was employed, analyzing data for 30 macrocyclic fragrance ingredients.
• Ingredients were divided into two subgroups: 15 macrocyclic ketones and 15 macrocyclic lactones/lactides.
• Conservative estimates of environmental exposure concentrations (PEC) and predicted no-effect concentrations (PNEC) were calculated.

Main Results:

• Predicted exposure concentrations for macrocyclic ketones ranged from <0.01 to 0.05 μg/L in Europe and <0.01 to 0.03 μg/L in North America.
• Predicted exposure concentrations for macrocyclic lactones/lactides ranged from <0.01 to 0.7 μg/L in Europe and <0.01 to 1.0 μg/L in North America.
• The PEC/PNEC ratio did not exceed 1 for any material in either subgroup, indicating negligible risk.

Conclusions:

• Macrocyclic fragrance materials, specifically ketones and lactones/lactides, pose a negligible risk to aquatic biota at current usage volumes in Europe and North America.
• The "group approach" is effective for screening-level risk assessment of fragrance ingredients.
• Environmental risk management strategies can be informed by these findings.