[3] Hydrogenation of erucic acid gives behenyl alcohol, CH3(CH2)21OH, a pour point depressant (enabling liquids to flow at a lower temperature), and silver behenate, for use in photography.

[4] The name erucic means "of or pertaining to Eruca", which is a genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae.

As early as 1977, the use of rapeseed oil was deemed safe as a food additive in the United States.

[6] In 2003, Food Standards Australia set a provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) for an average adult of about 500 mg/day of erucic acid, extrapolated based on "the level that is associated with increased myocardial lipidosis in nursing pigs.

The dietary intake of erucic acid by an individual consuming at the average level is well below the PTDI; therefore, there is no cause for concern in terms of public health and safety.