Baby Safety / Compounds / Arsenic trioxide

Is Arsenic trioxide safe for babies and kids?

Context-dependent for kids

Not medical or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified clinician — consult one. Full disclaimer →

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human pregnant context.) Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Arsenic trioxide, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

What is arsenic trioxide?

The IUPAC name is Diarsenic trioxide.

Also known as: Diarsenic trioxide, Arsenic oxide (As2O3), Arsentrioxide, Arseni trioxydum.

IUPAC name
Diarsenic trioxide
CAS number
1327-53-3
Molecular formula
As2O3
Molecular weight
197.84 g/mol
SMILES
[O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[As+3].[As+3]
PubChem CID
14888

Risk for babies

Context-dependent

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Arsenic trioxide, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

No specific reproductive toxicity data identified, but pregnancy-specific safety data is limited for most chemicals. Precautionary minimization of exposure is recommended.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

Context-dependent

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Arsenic trioxide, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

No specific reproductive toxicity data identified, but pregnancy-specific safety data is limited for most chemicals. Precautionary minimization of exposure is recommended.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Arsenic trioxide. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA——
IARC——

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 kids encounter arsenic trioxide

  • mining and smelting
  • agriculture (historically)
  • laboratory use
  • pharmaceutical manufacture

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Arsenic trioxide:

  • All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)
    Trade-offs: Differentiation syndrome risk. Less effective as monotherapy in high-risk APL.
    Relative cost: Lower than arsenic trioxide (Trisenox)
  • Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) → alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ)
    Trade-offs: Higher corrosion of metal fasteners. Slightly lower efficacy against marine borers.
    Relative cost: 1.2-1.5×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain arsenic trioxide?

Arsenic trioxide appears in: mining and smelting; agriculture (historically); laboratory use.

See Arsenic trioxide in the baby app

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

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Sources (7)
  1. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 1327-53-3 — reference
  2. IARC Monographs Volume 100C (2012) — Arsenic and Inorganic Arsenic Compounds Group 1 Carcinogenic to Humans (sufficient evidence for lung + skin + urinary-bladder cancer; arsenic-trioxide + arsenate + arsenite + arsine framework) (2012) — regulatory
  3. FDA Prescribing Information — Arsenic Trioxide (Trisenox) for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL; FDA approved 2000; PML-RARA t(15;17) APL induction + consolidation framework; QT-prolongation + APL-differentiation-syndrome boxed warning) (2018) — regulatory
  4. US EPA IRIS — Inorganic Arsenic (oral cancer slope factor 1.5 (mg/kg-day)⁻¹; inhalation unit risk 4.3E-3 (µg/m³)⁻¹; SMCL + MCL 10 µg/L drinking-water framework + Bangladesh-Taiwan-Argentina-Chile epidemiology cohorts) (2010) — regulatory
  5. ATSDR Toxicological Profile for Arsenic (top-priority pollutant ranked #1 CERCLA Substance Priority List; smelter + glass + agricultural-pesticide + drinking-water cohort framework + chronic + acute exposure pathways) (2007) — regulatory
  6. NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards — Arsenic and inorganic compounds (REL 0.002 mg As/m³ Ceiling 15-min; 'Ca' carcinogen designation; Class A1 confirmed human carcinogen; smelter + arsenical-pesticide + microelectronics-cohort framework) (2019) — regulatory
  7. Smith AH, Marshall G, Yuan Y et al. — Increased mortality from lung cancer and bronchiectasis in young adults after exposure to arsenic in utero and in early childhood (canonical Region II Antofagasta Chile cohort framework driving IARC-100C reaffirmation, EHP) (2006) — study

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