BRILLIANT BLUE FCF AS A DYE TRACER FOR SOLUTE TRANSPORT STUDIES - A TOXICOLOGICAL OVERVIEW

Brilliant Blue FCF (C.I. 42090) was found to be a useful dye tracer to stain the flow paths of water in soil media. Being neutral or anionic , it is not strongly adsorbed by negatively charged soil constituents. The dye is used in food because its general toxicity is low. However, to stain the flow paths of water in soil, fairly large concentrations are required to ensure good visibility of the tracer. Therefore, toxi c effects cannot be entirely excluded, and assessing the environmental risk is a necessity, especially when field research is conducted in a n environmental context. A literature review was carried out to compil e data on Brilliant Blue FCF toxicity. The literature suggests that th ere is no carcinogenicity or mutagenicity to rodents. Brilliant Blue F CF does not accumulate in plants or animals, but degrades slowly in th e environment. From the toxicological point of view the dye can be con sidered as a suitable and environmentally acceptable tracer for studyi ng solute transport in soil, especially in the field.