163 
Table 63: Physico-chemical properties of trifluralin. 
Parameter 
CAS number 
1582-09-8 
Log K 0 w 
5.3 a 
Log K oc [L/kg] 
3.8-4.1 a 
Solubility in water [mg/L] 
0.19 a 
Biodegradation 
months b 
Vapour pressure [Pa] 
9.5xl0" 3 a 
Atmospheric half-life [d] 
0.22 a 
Data from: a (OSPAR Background Document on Trifluralin, 2004); b (Lerche et al. 2002) 
Acute toxicity for mammals is relatively low (LD 5 o-value = 10000 mg/kg body weight 
rat (Rompp, 1995)). In contrast, the acute ecotoxicity effects on maritime unicellular 
algae are high (Walsh, 1972). NOEC values for different types of aquatic organisms 
vary on the order of 1-100 pg/L (see Table 64). No information is presently available on 
the chronic toxicity of trifluralin to organisms in the marine environment. 
Table 64: Survey of acute / chronic toxicity of trifluralin to aquatic organisms. 
Aquatic organism 
Species 
Value/period [d] 
Cone. [pg/L] 
algae 
Chlorococcum sp. 
EC50/- 
2.5 b 
crustacean 
Daphnia magna 
NOEC/64 
2.4 a 
fish 
Pimephales promelas 
NOEC/35 spinal cord 
deformation 
0.3 a 
Data from; “(Data sheet on Trifluralin); b (Walsh, 1972) 
Unlike data on trifluralin concentrations in surface, ground and drinking water, 
information about levels in sea water is scarce. Analyses of samples from the North and 
Baltic Seas in 1997-1999 showed trifluralin concentrations of <0.02-0.05 ng/L (North 
Sea) and <0.02-0.06 ng/L (Baltic Sea) (Meeresumweltdatenbank (MUDAB)). The limit 
of quantification was 0.02 ng/L. The distribution of trifluralin is relatively uniform, with 
samples from the open sea occasionally having slightly higher concentrations than those 
from the coastal waters. In contrast to the low concentrations found in the North and 
Baltic Seas, concentrations in the North Pacific Ocean were 100 times higher. In 1993, 
Chernyak found a trifluralin concentration of 1.15 ng/L in that area (limit of