Oleic acid

MAK Value Documentation, addendum – Translation of the German version from 2016

  Andrea Hartwig¹ (Chair of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
  MAK Commission<sup>2

1</sup> Institute of Applied Biosciences, Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Adenauerring 20a, Geb. 50.41, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
² Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Kennedyallee 40, 53175 Bonn, Germany

Abstract

The German Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area has re‐evaluated oleic acid [112‐80‐1], which was classified as possible carcinogenic to humans in Carcinogen Category 3A, to derive a maximum concentration at the workplace (MAK value), considering genotoxicity and carcinogenicity. Oleic acid is irritating to the skin if applied repeatedly. It is not mutagenic in vitro, data in vivo are not available. Oleic acid showed skin tumour promoting activity in mice after initiation with 9,10‐dimethylbenzanthracen but not without initiation. In a general evaluation of the skin tumour initiation‐promotion‐test in mice published in 2015, the Commission concluded, that substances which only induce skin tumours after initiation, but not without initiation, do not have to be classified in a Carcinogen Category. Therefore, the former classification of oleic acid is withdrawn. Since it is not possible to derive a MAK value with the available data, oleic acid is assigned to Section II b of the List of MAK and BAT values.

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