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Acetanilide may be released into the environment through air and wastewater from its production and use sites as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and dyes. Acetanilide is biodegraded rapidly under aerobic conditions and decomposed by indirect photolysis in the presence of OH radicals. An estimated bioconcentration factor of 4.5 suggests that bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms is low. Ecotoxicological data on acetanilide exist on acute toxicity to fishes of 4 species only. According to the EUSES system, the lowest PNEC (Predicted no effect concentration) in fishes is 0.01 mg/1 and PEC (Predicted environmental concentration) for surface water on a regional scale is 9.110－5/mg/l as the worst case. RCR (Risk characterization ratio) of acetanilide for surface water on a regional scale was estimated as 9.110-3, which is safe enough for fishes, RCR on a local basis slightly exceeds the value 1 in water and sediment; that is, 1.3 and 1.6, respectively, which suggests the existence of ecotoxicological risk at the vicinity of the manufacturing site. For the refinement of environmental risk assessment on acetanilide, more data should be collected regarding prolonged fish toxicity, acute toxicity toward daphnia and algae. It is, therefore, recommended that acetanilide should be a candidate for further work to supplement the lacking data until it is proved to be safe in the ecotoxicological aspects.
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