AMBIENT WATER QUALITY ADVISORY
1,4-DIOXANE
CRITERIA AND STANDARDS DIVISION
OFFICE OF WATER REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
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NOTICES
This document has been reviewed by the Criteria and Standards
Division, Office of Water Regulations and Standards, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and approved for distribution.
Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute
endorsement or recommendation for use.
This document is available to the public through the Criteria and
standards Division, Office of Water Regulations and Standards,
U.S. EPA, Washington, D.C.
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FOREWORD
The Criteria and standards Division of the Office of Water
Regulations and Standards has instituted water quality advisories
as a vehicle for transmitting the best available scientific
information concerning the aquatic life and human health effects
of selected chemicals in surface waters. Advisories are prepared
for chemicals for which information is needed quickly, but for
which sufficient data, resources, or time are not available to
allow derivation of national ambient water quality criteria.
Data supporting advisories are usually not as extensive as
required for derivation of national ambient water quality
criteria, and the strength of the data available. We feel,
however, that it is in the best interest of all concerned to make
the enclosed information available to those who need it.
Users of advisories should take into account the basis for
their derivation and their intended uses. Anyone who has
additional information that will supplement or substantially
change an advisory is requested to make the information known to
us. An advisory for an individual chemical will be revised if any
significant and valid new data make it necessary.
We invite comments to help improve this product.
Edmund M. Notzon, Director
Criteria and Standards Division
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AQUATIC LIFE
Mary D. Balcer, author
University of Wisconsin-Superior, Superior, WI
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CONTENTS
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SECTION I. Advisories
AQUATIC LIFE
If the estimated or measured ambient concentration of 1,4-
dioxane exceeds 10,100 ug/L in fresh or salt water, one or more of
the following options must be completed within a reasonable period
of time:
1. Obtain more measurements of the concentration.
2. Improve the estimate of the concentration.
3. Reduce the concentration.
4. Obtain additional laboratory and/or field data on the
effect of 1,4-dioxane on aquatic life so that a new
aquatic life advisory or water quality criterion can be
derived.
After a reasonable period of time, unless a consideration of all
the available data concerning the ambient concentration and the
effects of 1,4-dioxane on aquatic life indicates that the ambient
concentration is low enough, it must be reduced.
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SECTION II. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. Biological. Chemical, and Physical Properties
The following information on the properties of 1,4-dioxane
(diethylene dioxide) and its persistence in the aquatic
environment was obtained from the Handbook of Chemistry and
Physics (a) or from the QSAR system (b) on July 13, 1987. some
the values were calculated using structure-activity relationships.
Property
Value
Source
Molecular Weight
Relative Density (20°C)
Log P
Melting Point
Boiling Point
Vapor Pressure
Heat of Vaporization
PKa
Solubility in Water
BCF
Absorption Coef.[Log (Koc)]
88.11 g/mole
1.0337
-0.492
12.0°C
101.0°C
40.1 mm Hg
8;, 170. cal/mole
(not applicable)
1,660. mg/L
1.07
2.50
Calculated
^ Measured
^ Calculated
yS Measured
/•
Measured
Calculated
Calculated
Calculated
Calculated
Calculated
Hydrolysis Half-life =>1000 days
Hydrolysis is not likely to be an important transformation
mechanism for this chemical.
Biodegradation Half-life Analysis
This is an aliphatic cyclic chemical without branches. All 5
unbranched cyclic chemicals in the degradation data base have
half-lifes >40 days.
Log 10 (Henry's Constant) = -5.55 atmm3/mole
It could be concluded that a chemical with these properties
will volatilize slowly from open water.
Neely 100-day Partitioning Pattern
Air » 0.11%
Water = 99.88%
Ground = 0.00%
Hydrosoil = 0.00%
(a) Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 67th Ed., CRC Press, Boca
Raton, FL. 1986-1987.
(b) For information on the QSAR system, see: Hunter, R., L.
Faulkner, F. Culver and J. Hill. Draft user manual for the QSAR
system. Center for Data Systems and Analysis, Montana State
University, November, 1985.
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B. OCCURRENCE
1,4-Dioxane, also known as p-Dioxane is a synthetic organic
compound: dioxane has no natural sources. The production of six
million pounds of dioxane was recorded in 1979. The compound is
used as a solvent for cellulose acetate, resins, oils and waxes.
While dioxane has not been included in Federal and State surveys
of drinking water supplies, it has been reported to occur in both
surface and ground water (U.S. EPA, 1979). The estimated
biodegradation half-life for this compound is greater than forty
(40) days.
C. ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
Based upon dioxane's physical properties, it is expected to
volatilize from soil and surface waters. Dioxane also is expected
to be mobile in soil. No information on the biodegradation of
dioxane has been identified.
II-2
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SECTION III: AQUATIC TOXICITY
Introduction
Aquatic life advisory concentrations are conceptually
different from national aquatic life water quality criteria.
Because aquatic life advisories are intended to be used to
identify situations where there is cause for concern and where
appropriate action should be taken, the advisory concentration for
a chemical is derived to be equal to or lower than what the
criterion continuous Concentration (stephan et al., 1985) would be
if a national water quality criterion for aquatic life could be
derived for the chemical. If the concentration of a chemical in a
variety of surface waters if found to exceed the aquatic life
advisory concentration, this may indicate that the U.S. EPA should
consider deriving aquatic life water quality criteria for that
chemical.
The literature searching and data evaluation procedures used
in the derivation of aquatic Life advisories are identical to
those used in the derivation of water quality criteria for aquatic
life (Stephan et al., 1985). However, advisories do not contain a
section on "Unused Data" as in a criteria document. This aquatic
life advisory concentration for 1,4-dioxane was derived using the
procedures described in the "Guidelines for Deriving Ambient
Aquatic Life Advisory Concentrations" (Stephan et al., 1986). a
knowledge of these guidelines is necessary in order to understand
the following text, tables, and calculations. The latest
comprehensive literature search for information for this aquatic
life advisory was conducted in July 1987.
Based upon the low rate of hydrolysis, biodegradation, and
volatilization of 1,4-dioxane (see Section III-A), it is assumed
that the concentration in static, acute exposure systems will not
fall below 50% of nominal. This was verified experimentally by
Brooke (1987), who reported that concentrations decreased by 10 to
30% in 96 hours in static exposure systems. Therefore, no
adjusted values were calculated for the interpretation of results
from static tests.
Effects on Freshwater Organisms
Acceptable data on the acute toxicity of 1,4-dioxane to
freshwater organisms are available for four species, including two
crustaceans and two fish (Table 1). Bro^e (1987) reported a 48-hr
EC50 for the cladoceran, Daphnia magna, of 4,269,000 ug/L and 96-
hr LC50s for and amphipod (Gammarus pseudolimnaeus) and the
fathead minnow (Pimephales oromelas) of 2,274,000 ug/L and
9,872,000 ug/L, respectively. Dawson et al., (1977) exposed a
bluegi11 (Lepomis macrochirus) for 96 hours and calculated an LC50
of > 10,000,000.
III-l
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No acceptable data are available on the chronic effects of
1,4-dioxane on any freshwater organisms.
Bringmann (1978) and Bringmann and Kuhn (1977, 1978, 1980)
exposed several species of freshwater microorganisms to 1,4-
dioxane and reported concentrations resulting in incipient
inhibition of cell replication (Table 3). These values ranged
from 2,700,000 ug/L to greater than 10,000,000 ug/L, with the
exception of the blue-green alga, MicrocvtiS auruainosa. which
was inhibited by 575,000 ug/L.
Effects on Saltwater Organisms
The tidewater silverside (Menidia beryllina) was the only
saltwater organism for which acceptable acute toxicity data are
available. Dawson et al., (1977) reported a 96-hr LC50 for this
species of 6,700,000 ug/L.
No data are available on the chronic effects of 1,4-dioxane
to any saltwater organism.
Calculation of Advisory Concentration
A total of five Species Mean Acute Values (SMAV) and Genus
Mean Acute Value (GMAV) are available for freshwater and saltwater
organisms (Table 2). Values ranged from 2,274,000 ug/L for
Gammarus to > 10,000,000 ug/L for Lepomis. Based upon a total of
five GMAVs, the lowest GMAV (2,274,000 ug/L) was divided by a
factor of 9.0, in accordance with the guidelines, resulting in an
Advisory Acute Value (AAV) of 253,000 ug/L. In the absence of any
experimentally determined acute-chronic ratios, an Advisory Acute-
Chronic Ratio (AACR) of 25 was assumed. Dividing the AAV (253,000
ug/L) by the AACR (25) resulted in an Advisory Concentration of
10 ,100 ug/L.
III-2
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Table I. Acute Toxicity of 1,4-Dioxane to Aquatic Animals
Spec i es
Method"
Chemi col
Hardness LC50
(ag/l as or EC50
_CoC03J_ (fs/U
TRESHWATER SPECIES
Species Uean
Acute Value
LaaZU
Reference
Cladoceran (<24 hr),
Dophnio moqna
r. M
4.269.000
4,269.000
Brooke 1987
Amphipod (adult),
Commarus
pseudolimnaeus
r. m
2,274,000
2,274,000
Brooke 1987
Tathead minnow
(juvenile), S. U - - 13,199,000 - Brooke 1987
Pimepholes promelos
Tathead minnow
(juvenile), S. Mb - - 13,792,000 - Brooke 1987
Pimepholes promelos
rat head mi nnow
(juvenile), S. V - - 12,326,000 - Brooke 1987
Pimepholes promelas
Fathead minnow
(.juvenile), f, M - - 9,672,000 9,872,000 Brooke 1987
PimephqIes promelos
81ueqi11, S, U - - > 10,000,000 > 10,000,000 Dawson et al 1977
Leoomis mocrochi rus
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Table I . (cont inued)
Species
Method"
Chewi col
Soli ni ty
LCSO
r EC50
l«iq/L)
SAITWATCR SPECIES
Species Mean
Acute Volue
Reference
Tideeater silverside,
Meni d i o beryl Ii no
S. U
6,700,000
6,700,000
Daeson et ol. 1977
0 S = Static; R = Reneaat; f = floe-through; M = Measured; U = Unmeasured.
Based upon 0-hr measurement.
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Table 2. Ranked Genus lleon Acute Values ¦ith Species Mean Acute-Chronic Ratios
Centis Mean Species Mean Species Meoa
Acute Value Acute Value Acute-Chronic
ftp"*0 liia/L) Species (lia/l.)*' Ratio
5 > 10,000,000 Bluegi11, > 10,000.000
leporoi s mocrochirus
4 9,872,000 Fathead minno*. 9,872,000
Piraeoholes crcmelas
3 6,700,000 Tidewater silverside, 6,700,000
Medldi o beryl I(na
2 4,269,000 Cladoceraa, 4.269.000
Daphni a magna
§
I 2,274,000 Anphi pod, 2,274,000
Cowoiorus pseudol iwnoeus
0 Ranked froo most resistant to aost sensitive based on Genus Mean Acute Value.
* Trom Table I.
Advisory Acute Volue = (2.274,000 pg/L)/ 9.0 = 253,000 ^g/l.
Advisory Acute-Chronic Ratio = 25
Advisory Concentration = (253,000 /ig/L)/ 25 = 10,100 jug/L
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Table 3. Other Dato on Effects of 1.4-dioKane on Aquatic Organisms
Spec i es
Chemitol
Hardness
(mg/L as
CoCO,)
Durati on
Cffect
Concentration
Wl.)
Reference
fRESHWATER SPECIES
Bacterium,
Pseudomonas
put i do
16 hr
Incipient inhibition 2.700,000
Bringmann and Kuhn
1977
Blue-green alga,
Mi crocus!i s
oerua i noso
8 day
Incipient inhibition 575,000
Bringmann and Kuhn
1978
Green alga,
Scenedesmus
quodr icoudo
8 day
Incipient inhibition 5,600,000
Bringmann and Kuhn
1977, 1978
Prot ozoan,
Ch iIomonos
poromoec i urn
48 hr
Incipient inhibition > 10,000,000
Bringmann and Kuhn
I9B0; Bringmann
et al. 1980
Prot ozoan,
Entosi phon
sulcatum
72 hr
Incipient inhibition 5,340,000 Bringmann 1978
Fathead mi nnou,
Pimepholes
promelas
96 hr
EC50 9,361,000
(loss of equilibrium)
Brooke 1987
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Section IV-Eeferences
Bringmann, G.. 1978. Studies on the biological effects of
waterborne pollutants in protozoans. I. Bacteriophagus
flagellates (model organism: Entosiphon sulcatum Stein). Z.
Wasser Abwasser Forsch. 11:210-215.
Bringmann, G. and R. Kuhn. 1977. Limiting values for the damaging
action of water pollutants to bacteria (Paeudomonas gutida) and
green algae (Scenedesmus cruadri cauda) in the cell
multiplication inhibition test. Z. Wasser Abwasser Forsch.
10:87-98.
Bringmann, G. and R. Kuhn. 1978. Testing of substances for their
toxicity threshold: Model organisms Microcystis (Diplocvstis)
aeruginosa and Scenedesmus auadricauda. Mitt. Int. Ver. Theor.
Angew. Limnol. 21:275-284.
Bringmann, G. and R. Kuhn~V 1980. Determination of the biological
effect of water pollutants on protozoa. III. Saprozoic
flagellateB. Z. Wasser Abwasser Forsch. 13:170-173.
Bringmann, G., R. Kuhn and A. Winter. 1980. Determination of the
biological effect of water pollutants in protozoa. III.
Saprozoic flagellates. Z. Wasser Abwasser Forsch. 13:170-173.
Brooke, L.T. 1987. Center for Lake Superior Environmental
Studies, University of Wisconsin-Superior, Superior, WI.
(Memorandum to L.J. Larson, Center for Lake Superior
Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Superior,
Superior, WI., August 31.).
Dawson, G.W., A.L. Jennings, D. Drozdowski and E. Rider. 1977.
The acute toxicity of 47 industrial chemicals to fresh and
saltwater fishes. J. Hazard. Mater. 1:303-318.
Stephan, C.E., D.I. Mount, D.J. Hansen, J.H. Gentile, G.A.
Chapman and W.A. Brungs. 1985. Guidelines for deriving
numerical national water quality criteria for the protection of
aquatic organisms and their uses. PB85-227049. National
Technical Information Service. Springfield. VA.
Stephan, C.E., G.A. Chapman, D.J. Hansen and T.W. Purcell. 1986.
Guidelines for deriving ambient aquatic life advisory
concentrations. December 11 draft. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Duluth, MN.
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SECTION V. EPA CONTACTS
AQUATIC LIFE ADVISORIES
For further information regarding the aquatic life and fish and
water exposure advisories contact:
FTS 382-7144 (202)382-7144
FTS 475-7315 (202)475-7315
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