Pet Safety / Compounds / Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB)

Is Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) safe for dogs and cats?

High risk for pets

GHS Danger classification. Dogs lack metabolic pathways to detoxify many synthetic chemicals. Acute lethality risk from accidental ingestion.

What is pentachloronitrobenzene (pcnb)?

The IUPAC name is trichloro(nitro)methane.

Also known as: trichloro(nitro)methane, CHLOROPICRIN, Trichloronitromethane, Nitrochloroform.

IUPAC name
trichloro(nitro)methane
CAS number
76-06-2
Molecular formula
CCl3NO2
Molecular weight
164.37 g/mol
SMILES
[O-][N+](=O)C(Cl)(Cl)Cl
PubChem CID
6423

Risk for dogs

High risk

GHS Danger classification. Dogs lack metabolic pathways to detoxify many synthetic chemicals. Acute lethality risk from accidental ingestion.

Risk for cats

High risk

GHS Danger classification. Cats lack metabolic pathways to detoxify many synthetic chemicals. Acute lethality risk from accidental ingestion.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB). The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 1 positive / 0 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 1 positive / 0 negative reports)

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 pentachloronitrobenzene (pcnb)

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage
  • Consumer Products — Paints, Adhesives, Cleaning products

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB):

  • Safer process chemistry; Green chemistry alternatives; Exposure controls
    Trade-offs: Requires R&D investment to redesign synthesis routes; may reduce yield or throughput initially; long-term benefits include reduced waste treatment costs, regulatory compliance, and worker safety; 12 Principles of Green Chemistry framework available.
    Relative cost: 2-5×

Frequently asked questions

Is pentachloronitrobenzene (pcnb) safe for pets?

GHS Danger classification. Dogs lack metabolic pathways to detoxify many synthetic chemicals. Acute lethality risk from accidental ingestion.

What products contain pentachloronitrobenzene (pcnb)?

Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage (Industrial facilities); Paints (Consumer products); Adhesives (Consumer products).

See Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) in the pets app

Look up products containing pentachloronitrobenzene (pcnb), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in pets View raw API data

Sources (3)
  1. PubChem Compound CID 6423 — database
  2. EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard — DTXSID0020315 — epa
  3. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 76-06-2 — reference

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 →