Is Barium safe for dogs and cats?
High risk for petsBarium is acutely toxic (GHS Category 1-3). Dogs may access through household exposure. Contact veterinarian immediately if exposure suspected.
What is barium?
Also known as: bario, baryum, Barium, elemental, BA.
- IUPAC name
- barium
- CAS number
- 7440-39-3
- Molecular formula
- Ba
- Molecular weight
- 137.33 g/mol
- SMILES
- [Ba]
- PubChem CID
- 5355457
Risk for dogs
High riskBarium is acutely toxic (GHS Category 1-3). Dogs may access through household exposure. Contact veterinarian immediately if exposure suspected.
Risk for cats
High riskBarium is acutely toxic (GHS Category 1-3). Cats are particularly vulnerable due to grooming behavior and glucuronidation deficiency.
Regulatory consensus
12 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Barium. The classifications differ — that's the data.
| Agency | Year | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPA CTX / IRIS | — | D (Not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity) | |
| EPA CTX / IRIS | — | Carcinogenic potential cannot be determined | |
| EPA CTX / IRIS | — | Not likely to be carcinogenic to humans | |
| EPA CTX / Health Canada | — | Group VA: CEPA (inadequate data for evaluation) | |
| EPA CTX / Genetox | — | Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 0 positive / 3 negative reports) | |
| EPA CTX / Genetox | — | Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 0 positive / 3 negative reports) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Eye Irritation: Serious eye damage/eye irritation - Category 2 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Irritation: Skin corrosion/irritation - Category 2 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Eye Irritation: Category 2A (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Irritation: Category 2 (score: high) | |
| 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 barium
- 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 Barium:
-
Process redesign to avoid hazardous intermediates
Trade-offs: May require significant R&D investment. Not always feasible.Relative cost: 1.2-2×
Frequently asked questions
Is barium safe for pets?
Barium is acutely toxic (GHS Category 1-3). Dogs may access through household exposure. Contact veterinarian immediately if exposure suspected.
What products contain barium?
Barium appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).
Why do regulators disagree about barium?
Barium has been classified by 12 agencies including EPA CTX / IRIS, EPA CTX / IRIS, EPA CTX / IRIS, EPA CTX / Health Canada, EPA CTX / Genetox, 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 Barium in the pets app
Look up products containing barium, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.
Open in pets View raw API dataSources (2)
- ATSDR: Toxicological Profile for Barium — Soluble vs Insoluble Salt Toxicity, K⁺ Channel Block, Cardiac Arrhythmia, Hypokalemia Mechanism, and Drinking Water Exposure (2007) — regulatory
- US EPA IRIS: Barium — Oral Reference Dose, Drinking Water MCL (2 mg/L), Cardiovascular Endpoint, and Hypertension Evidence (2005) — 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 →