Improving Member States preparedness to face an HNS pollution of the Marine System (HNS-MS)
Urea
Description Top
| CAS number | 57-13-6 |
| Chemical formula | CH4N2O |
| Accident occurred | Yes |
| Standard European Behaviour Classification (SEBC) | Dissolves (D) |
| Abilities | Miscible in water. |
| Notable risks | Reacts with some compounds. |
GESAMP Hazard profile
| A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 | C3 | D1 | D2 | D3 | E1 | E2 | E3 |
| 0 | R | 1 | NI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | NI | D | 1 |
Marine pollution Classification (MARPOL Annex II)
| Category | Description |
| Z | Noxious Liquid Substances which, if discharged into the sea from tank cleaning or deballasting operations, are deemed to present a minor hazard to either marine resources or human health and therefore justify less stringent restrictions on the quality and quantity of the discharge into the marine environment. |
Alternate names for this chemical
Amide Of Carbonic Acid
Carbamide
Carbamimidic Acid
Carbonyl Diamide
Carbonyldiamide
Carbonyldiamine
Isourea
Urea
Uree
Carbamide
Carbamimidic Acid
Carbonyl Diamide
Carbonyldiamide
Carbonyldiamine
Isourea
Urea
Uree
Physico-chemical properties Top
| Chemical formula | CH4N2O | ||
| Molar mass | 60.06 [g/mol] | ||
| State | Solid at 25°C and 1 atm | ||
| Fusion temperature | 132.7 [°C] | ||
| Density |
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| Kinematic viscosity |
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| Hydrosolubility |
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| Vapour pressure |
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| Vapour density | 1.6 | ||
| Combustion enthalpy | 9050000 [J/Kg] | ||
| Combustion efficiency | 95 [%] | ||
| Mass flow rate of the combustion surface | 0.01 [Kg/(m²·s)] | ||
| Radiative fraction | 22 [%] | ||
| Henry's constant | 0 [mol/(m³·Pa)] |
Behaviour Top
| Log Kow | 0 |
| Log Koc | 0.9 |
| Hydrolysis (Half-life) | Not hydrolysable |
| Aqueous photolysis (Half-life) | Not photolysable |
| Biodegradation in estuary environment (Half-life) | 15 days |
| Biodegradation in marine environment (Half-life) | 50 days |
| Standard European Behaviour Classification (SEBC) | Dissolves (D) |
| Bioconcentration factor (BCF) | 1.1 |
Ecotoxicity Top
| Lowest median lethal concentration (LC50) on crustacean | 3910 [mg/l] | |
| Lowest median lethal concentration (LC50) on fishes | 67 [mg/l] | |
| Highest no observed effect concentration (NOEC) on algae | 1050 [mg/l] | |
| Assessment factor (AF) |
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| Predicted No Effect Concentration (PNEC) |
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GESAMP Top
GESAMP Hazard profile
| A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 | C3 | D1 | D2 | D3 | E1 | E2 | E3 |
| 0 | R | 1 | NI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | NI | D | 1 |
A1: Bioaccumulation
| Rating | Description |
| 0 | No potential to bioaccumulate |
A1a:
| Rating | Description | Criteria [mg/l] |
| 0 | No potential to bioaccumulate | Log Kow < 1 |
A1b:
| Rating | Description | Criteria |
| 0 | No potential to bioaccumulate | No measurable bioconcentration factor (BCF) |
A2: Biodegradation
| Rating | Description |
| R | Readily biodegradable |
B1: Acute aquatic toxicity
| Rating | Description | Criteria [mg/l] |
| 1 | Practically non-toxic | 100 < LC/EC/IC50 ≤ 1000 |
B2: Chronic aquatic toxicity
| Rating | Description |
| NI | No Information |
C1: Acute oral toxicity
| Rating | Description | Criteria [mg/Kg] |
| 0 | Negligible | AOTE > 2000 |
C2: Acute dermal toxicity (skin contact)
| Rating | Description | Criteria [mg/Kg] |
| 0 | Negligible | ADTE > 2000 |
C3: Acute inhalation toxicity
| Rating | Description | Criteria [mg/l] (4 hours exposure) |
| 1 | Slight | 10 < AITE ≤ 20 |
D1: Skin irritation or corrosion
| Rating | Description | Sign | GHS category |
| 1 | Mildly irritating | Mild erythema with or | Mild Irritant Category 3 |
D2: Eye irritation
| Rating | Description | Sign | GHS category |
| 1 | Mildly irritating | Mild conjunctival hype | Irritant Category 2B |
D3: Long-term health effects
| Notation | Hazard endpoint | Description | GHS category |
| No Information |
E1: Tainting of seafood
| Rating | Description |
| NI | No Information |
E2: Behaviour of chemicals in the marine environment
| Rating | Description |
| D | Dissolves |
E3: Interference with the use of coastal amenities
| Rating | Interference | Description | Interpretation | Warning |
| 1 | Slightly objectionable | 1 is a floater; and/or 2 is slightly acutely toxic; and/or 3 is mildly irritant to skin and/or eyes | 1 E2 = F; and/or 2 C1 and/or C2 and/or C3 = 1; and/or 3 D1 and/or D2 = 1 | Warning issued but no closure of amenities |
About the project
HNS-MS is a decision-support tool that Belgian and French maritime authorities as well as coastguard stations can activate in order to forecast the drift, fate and behavior of acute marine pollution by Harmful Noxious Substances (HNS) accidentally released in the marine system.
Contact us
Copyright © 2015–2025 HNS-MS Consortium
HNS-MS has been funded by DG-ECHO under agreement ECHO/SUB/2014/693705 and runs from 1 January 2015 to 31 March 2017.