m-cresol

108-39-4

yellowish liquid

Odor threshold (tentative): average: 0.2 mg/l
                            range: 0.016 - 4.0 mg/l
Taste threshold conc.: 0.002 mg/l
(Verschueren 1983)

108.15

3-Cresol has a low potential to volatilize from water, having
calculated Henry's Law constant of 8.7x10-7 atm-m3/mol
(Leuenberger et al. 1985).

The value for Koc measured on Brookstone clay loam soil is 35 
whereas that predicted from the water solubility is 18. 
However 
Koc's for phenols predicted from water solubilities are only 
good for soils with organic carbon contents greater than approx
0.5 %. 
Adsorptivities are greater than predicted for soils with 
low organic carbon content because interactions such as 
H-bonding are dominant (Howard 1989).

There is no adsoption to sodium montmorillonite or sodium 
kaolinite clay between pH 2 and 10 (Luh & Baker 1970).

Dissociation constant 10.09 (Riddick et al. 1986).

Photooxidation half-life in air:
11.3hr - 1.1hr, based upon measured rate data for the apor
phase reaction with hydroxyl radicals in air (Howard 1991).

In the atmosphere during the daytime 3-cresol reacts
principally with photochemically generated hydroxyl radicals
with a resulting half-life 8.0 hr. 
In the nighttime especially
in moderately polluted atmospheres where concentrations of O3
and NO2 are high, rection with NO3 radicals becomes the
predominant sink for 3-cresol (half-life 5 min) with the
formation of nitrocresols. 
Under photochemical smog conditions
3-cresol is the most reactive cresol isomer and a half-life of
2 hr has been reported with the formation of nitrocresols
(Howard 1989).

Photooxidation half-life in water:
145d - 2.75d, scientific judgement based upon reproted reaction
rate constants for ·OH and RO2· with the phenol class (Howard
1991).

The photolysis half-life for 3-cresol by sunlight in pure water 
is 35 days; the half-life was a factor of 12 less when humic 
acids are added (Smith et al. 1978).

Aerobic half-life:
29d - 2d, scientific judgement based upon unacclimated marine 
water grab sample data (Howard 1991).

Anaerobic half-life:
49d - 15d, scientific judgement based upon anaerobic screening 
test data (Howard 1991).

Decomposition period by a soil microflora: 1 day (Verschueren
1983).

3-Cresol completely degraded in soil in 11 days at an 
application rate of 500 ppm (Huddleston et al. 1986).

Low concentration (39 ppb) of 3-cresol degraded in subsurface 
material taken from an uncontaminated aquifer. 
There was linear 
increase in biodegradation with time over the 160-day 
experiment with a 0.07 % per day average mineralization rate. 

When the concentration of 3-cresol was increased to 788 ppb, no 
mineralization was observed (Aelion et al. 1987).

Confirmed to be biodegradable (Anon. 1987).

Degradation of m-cresol:
*--------------------------------------------------------------*
ENVIRONMENT  INIT.CONC   REDOX-      TEMP   DEGRADATION  REF.
             mg/l        COND        °C     %/day
*--------------------------------------------------------------*
sludge      appr. 50     anaerobic   35      92/28       a
sludge      appr. 50     anaerobic   35      90/35       a
soil suspension   10     aerobic     25     100/1        b
*--------------------------------------------------------------*
a) Horowitz et al. 1982    b) Alexander & Lustigman 1966
(Anon. 1987b).

75 % inhibition of nitrification process in non adapted
activated sludge at 11,4 mg/l (Meinck et al. 1970)

Inhibition of degradation of glucose by Pseudomonas fluorescens
at: 40 mg/l.

Inhibition of degradation of glucose by E. coli at: 600 mg/l
(Bringmann & Kühn 1960)

Decomposition period by a soil microflora: 1 day
(Verschueren 1983)

3-Cresol generally biodegrades rapidly in screening studies
using soil, sewage, activated sludge or freshwater inocula.

Acclimation is frenquently not necessary (Howard 1989).

Die-away studies were performed in freshwater, estuarine water
and marine water from sites near Newport NC throughout the
year. 
In estuarine water the half-life ranged from 1 to 6 days.

Rates were faster in freshwater and slower in marine water.

While rates were highest during the summer in fresh and
estuarine  waters, the rate of degradation in marine water was
almost independent of the season (Pfaender & Bartholomew 1982).

When 3-cresol was incubated with two digester sludges under
anaerobic conditions 92 and 90 % mineralization was reported in
4 and 5 weeks, respectively. 
No mineralization occurred in 29
weeks, when it was incubated with anaerobic freshwater
sediment (Horowitz et al. 1982).

No mineralization occurred when 3-cresol was incubated
anaerobically for 40 days at 37 °C with a sludge inoculum
(Fedorak & Hrudey 1984).

The bioconcentration of 3-cresol in fish (golden ide) after 3 
days was 20 indicating that 3-cresol does not bioconcentrate 
significantly in fish. 
After 1 day the bioconcentration in 
algae was found to be 4900 (Freitag et al. 1985).

LD0, 600 mg/l, E. coli, Verschueren 1983

Toxicity threshold (cell multiplication inhibition test):
Pseudomonas putida: 53 mg/l (Bringmann & Kühn 1980a).

Toxicity threshold (cell multiplication inhibition test):
Microcystis aeruginosa         13 mg/l  Bringmann & Kühn 1976
Scenedesmus quadricauda        15 mg/l  Bringmann & Kühn 1980a
Entosiphon sulcatum            31 mg/l  Bringmann & Kühn 1980a
Uronema parduczi Chatton-Lwoff 62 mg/l  Bringmann & Kühn 1980b

Reduction of amenities:
approx. conc. causing taste in trout and carp: 10 mg/l.
approx. conc. causing taste in fish: 0.2 mg/l
(Jones 1971)