Is Plutonium-239 safe for dogs and cats?
Very high risk for petsBeagle studies at University of Utah (1950s-1990s) showed dose-dependent bone sarcoma and liver cancer from injected Pu-239. Key dataset for human risk extrapolation.
What is plutonium-239?
The IUPAC name is disodium;hydrogen arsorate;heptahydrate.
Also known as: Disodium arsenate heptahydrate, Sodium orthoarsenate heptahydrate, Sodium acid arsenate, heptahydrate, Dibasic sodium arsenate heptahydrate.
- IUPAC name
- disodium;hydrogen arsorate;heptahydrate
- CAS number
- 15117-48-3
- Molecular formula
- Pu
- Molecular weight
- 239.05 g/mol
- SMILES
- [Pu]
- PubChem CID
- 61460
Risk for dogs
Very high riskBeagle studies at University of Utah (1950s-1990s) showed dose-dependent bone sarcoma and liver cancer from injected Pu-239. Key dataset for human risk extrapolation.
Regulatory consensus
4 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Plutonium-239. The classifications differ — that's the data.
| Agency | Year | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NRC | 1991 | Special nuclear material; ALI inhalation 6 nCi/year (10 CFR 20) | |
| ICRP | 2012 | Dose coefficient inhalation: 1.2×10⁻⁴ Sv/Bq (Publication 119) | |
| EPA | 2000 | MCL for combined alpha emitters: 15 pCi/L (40 CFR 141) | |
| IARC | 2001 | Group 1 — Carcinogenic to humans (plutonium and plutonium compounds) |
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 plutonium-239
- Nuclear
- Environmental
Safer alternatives
Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Plutonium-239:
-
Low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel
Trade-offs: Cannot be used in breeder reactors. Lower energy density per fuel cycle. Requires enrichment infrastructure.Relative cost: Lower fuel cost but higher enrichment cost
-
Thorium-232 fuel cycle
Trade-offs: Requires U-233 breeding. No commercial-scale implementation yet. Different waste profile.Relative cost: Potentially lower long-term
Frequently asked questions
Is plutonium-239 safe for pets?
Beagle studies at University of Utah (1950s-1990s) showed dose-dependent bone sarcoma and liver cancer from injected Pu-239. Key dataset for human risk extrapolation.
Why do regulators disagree about plutonium-239?
Plutonium-239 has been classified by 4 agencies including NRC, ICRP, EPA, IARC, 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 Plutonium-239 in the pets app
Look up products containing plutonium-239, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.
Open in pets View raw API dataSources (1)
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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 →