Pet Safety / Compounds / Uranium (natural)

Is Uranium (natural) safe for dogs and cats?

High risk for pets

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

What is uranium (natural)?

The IUPAC name is uranium.

Also known as: uranium, Uranium, elemental, Uranium I ((238)U), 238U.

IUPAC name
uranium
CAS number
7440-61-1
Molecular formula
U
Molecular weight
238.0289 g/mol
SMILES
[U]
PubChem CID
23989

Risk for dogs

High risk

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

Risk for cats

High risk

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

Regulatory consensus

3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Uranium (natural). The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
US EPA—Carcinogenic/MCL classified
EPA CTX / NIOSH—potential occupational carcinogen
EPA CTX / Health Canada—Group V (inadequate data for evaluation of carcinogenicity)

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 uranium (natural)

  • 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 Uranium (natural):

  • Exposure reduction (no chemical substitute)
    Trade-offs: Exposure reduction does not eliminate the hazard but lowers risk to acceptable levels when alternatives are not available or practical. Requires ongoing monitoring and compliance.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is uranium (natural) safe for pets?

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

What products contain uranium (natural)?

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

Why do regulators disagree about uranium (natural)?

Uranium (natural) has been classified by 3 agencies including US EPA, EPA CTX / NIOSH, EPA CTX / Health Canada, 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 Uranium (natural) in the pets app

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

Open in pets View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. ATSDR: Toxicological Profile for Uranium — Chemical Nephrotoxicity vs Radiological Hazard, Proximal Tubular Damage, Groundwater Exposure, and Mining Worker Data (2013) — regulatory
  2. US EPA: National Primary Drinking Water Regulations — Uranium MCL (30 μg/L, 2000); Chemical Nephrotoxicity Basis, Private Well Risk, and Radiological Cancer Risk Estimate (2000) — 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 →