Pet Safety / Compounds / Antimony

Is Antimony safe for dogs and cats?

High risk for pets

Antimony is acutely toxic (GHS Category 1-3). Dogs may access through household exposure. Contact veterinarian immediately if exposure suspected.

What is antimony?

Also known as: Stibium, Stibium metallicum, Antimony powder, Antimony metal.

IUPAC name
antimony
CAS number
7440-36-0
Molecular formula
Sb
Molecular weight
121.76 g/mol
SMILES
[Sb]
PubChem CID
5354495

Risk for dogs

High risk

Antimony is acutely toxic (GHS Category 1-3). Dogs may access through household exposure. Contact veterinarian immediately if exposure suspected.

Risk for cats

High risk

Antimony is acutely toxic (GHS Category 1-3). Cats are particularly vulnerable due to grooming behavior and glucuronidation deficiency.

Regulatory consensus

6 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Antimony. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
IARC—Group 2
IARC—Group 3
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 1 positive / 9 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 1 positive / 9 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Category 6.4A (Category 2A) (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Irritation: Category 6.3B (Category 3) (score: moderate)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter antimony

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Antimony:

  • Phosphate-free corrosion inhibitors (molybdate, silicate)
    Trade-offs: Higher cost. May be less effective in some aggressive environments.
    Relative cost: Lower (ingredient elimination)

Frequently asked questions

Is antimony safe for pets?

Antimony is acutely toxic (GHS Category 1-3). Dogs may access through household exposure. Contact veterinarian immediately if exposure suspected.

What products contain antimony?

Antimony appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

Why do regulators disagree about antimony?

Antimony has been classified by 6 agencies including IARC, IARC, EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Skin-Eye, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See Antimony in the pets app

Look up products containing antimony, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in pets View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. ATSDR: Toxicological Profile for Antimony — Trivalent vs Pentavalent Toxicity, Occupational Lung Disease, IARC 2B Context, and Flame Retardant Use (2019) — regulatory
  2. US EPA IRIS: Antimony (III) — Oral Reference Dose, Drinking Water MCL (6 ppb), Blood Cholesterol/Glucose Endpoint, and Inhalation Reference Concentration (1992) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →