Baby Safety / Compounds / Barium chloride

Is Barium chloride safe for babies and kids?

Context-dependent for kids

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human pregnant context.) Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Barium chloride, 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 barium chloride?

The IUPAC name is Barium chloride dihydrate.

Also known as: Barium chloride dihydrate, Barium chloride (BaCl2), Ba 0108E, SBA 0108E.

IUPAC name
Barium chloride dihydrate
CAS number
10361-37-2
Molecular formula
BaCl2•2H2O
Molecular weight
244.26 g/mol
SMILES
[Cl-].[Cl-].[Ba+2]
PubChem CID
25204

Risk for babies

Context-dependent

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Barium chloride, 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 Barium chloride, 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 Barium chloride. 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 barium chloride

  • metal treatment
  • electroplating
  • laboratory reagent
  • analytical testing

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Barium chloride:

  • Barium sulfate (insoluble form)
    Trade-offs: Insoluble → non-toxic when ingested (used as GI contrast agent). Cannot replace soluble barium in chemistry.
    Relative cost: 0.5×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain barium chloride?

Barium chloride appears in: metal treatment; electroplating; laboratory reagent.

See Barium chloride in the baby app

Look up products containing barium chloride, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 10361-37-2 — 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 →