Methacrylate Ecotoxicity

The ecotoxicity of the basic methacrylates has been extensively reviewed under EU and OECD Existing Chemicals Risk Assessment programs (OECD 2001, 2009).

The data show low to high toxicity to aquatic organisms, with toxicity increasing with lipophilicity and molecular size: methacrylic acid (MAA), methyl methacrylate (MMA) and ethyl methacrylate (EMA) are the least toxic, while 2‑ethylhexyl methacrylate (2‑EHMA) is the most toxic. This pattern is consistent across all three trophic levels tested — algae, daphnia and fish — and reflects the overall toxicity range.

The OECD assessment concludes that while these chemicals pose an environmental hazard (acute toxicity between 1 and 100 mg/L), they are of low priority for further work due to rapid biodegradation and limited bioaccumulation potential. Comparing ecotoxicity and emission data shows that, under current operating conditions in the methacrylate industry, these substances do not pose an environmental risk.

References:

OECD, 2001, OECD SIDS/SIAP/SIAR Methacrylic acid, CAS no. 79-41-4

OECD, 2001, OECD SIDS/SIAP/SIAR Methyl Methacrylate, CAS no. 80-62-6

OECD, 2009, SIDS/SIAP/SIAR Category Short-chain Alkyl Methacrylates (Rem.: assessment referring to ethyl methacrylate, n- and iso-butyl methacrylate and 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate)

Staples, C. A., Farr, C., Hunt, E. K., McLaughlin, J. E., Müllerschön, H., & Pemberton, M. A. (2009). Using Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationships to Support the Assessment of the Environmental Fate and Aquatic Toxicity of a Series of Methacrylic Acid Esters. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 15(3), 503–525. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807030902892497