| GHS classification | This chemical does not meet GHS hazard criteria for 96.1% (4430 of 4611) of all reports.Not ClassifiedAggregated GHS information provided per 4611 reports by companies from 23 notifications to the ECHA C&L Inventory. |
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| Regulatory information | Chemical: UreaCommission Regulation (EC) No 2229/2004Urea is listed on the EPA's Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) system. Manufacturers and importers of Urea are required to report information about their production and use of this chemical to the EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). (40 eCFR Part 711)Reg. (EU) 2022/708, 2008/127, Reg. (EU) 2017/195, Reg. (EU) 2018/155, Reg. (EU) 2020/1160, Reg. (EU) 2021/745, Reg. (EU) 2023/1446, Reg. (EU) 2024/839, Reg. (EU) No 540/2011, Reg. (EU) No 597/2012Status: Active Update: 05-05-2023 https://echa.europa.eu/registration-dossier/-/registered-dossier/16152Urea: Does not have an individual approval but may be used under an appropriate group standard |
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| Other safety information | IMAP assessments - Urea: Human health tier I assessment |
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| Fire hazards | Behavior in Fire: Melts and decomposes, generating ammonia. (USCG, 1999)Not combustible. Gives off irritating or toxic fumes (or gases) in a fire. |
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| Fire potential | NONCOMBUSTIBLE |
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| Health hazards | May irritate eyes. (USCG, 1999) |
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| Hazards summary | A skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritant[ICSC] An eye irritant[CAMEO] |
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| FDA requirements | Substance added directly to human food affirmed as generally recognized as safe (GRAS). |
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| Reactive group | Amides and Imides |
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| Special Reports | Environment CanadaTech Info for Problem Spills: Urea (1985)Haliburton JC, Morgan SENonprotein Nitrogen-induced Ammonia Toxicosis and Ammoniated Feed Toxicity SyndromeVet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 5 (2): 237-49 (1989)WHO/IPCSToxicological Evaluation of Certain Food Additives and Contaminants WHO Food Additives Series 32 (1993) |
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| EPA Safer Chemical | Chemical: Urea |
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| FIFRA requirements | As the federal pesticide law FIFRA directs, EPA is conducting a comprehensive review of older pesticides to consider their health and environmental effects and make decisions about their future use. Under this pesticide reregistration program, EPA examines health and safety data for pesticide active ingredients initially registered before November 1, 1984, and determines whether they are eligible for reregistration. In addition, all pesticides must meet the new safety standard of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. Pesticides for which EPA had not issued Registration Standards prior to the effective date of FIFRA, as amended in 1988, were divided into three lists based upon their potential for human exposure and other factors, with List B containing pesticides of greater concern and List D pesticides of less concern. Urea is found on List D. Case No: 4096Pesticide type: antimicrobialCase Status: No products containing the pesticide are actively registered ... The case /is characterized/ as "cancelled." Under FIFRA, pesticide producers may voluntarily cancel their registered products. EPA also may cancel pesticide registrations if registrants fail to pay required fees or make/meet certain reregistration commitments, or if EPA reaches findings of unreasonable adverse effects.Active ingredient (AI): UreaAI Status: The active ingredient is no longer contained in any registered pesticide products ... "cancelled."Residues of urea are exempted from the requirement of a tolerance when used as a stabilizer, inhibitor in accordance with good agricultural practices as inert (or occasionally active) ingredients in pesticide formulations applied to growing crops or to raw agricultural commodities after harvest.Urea is exempted from the requirement of a tolerance when used as a adjuvant/intensifier for herbicides in accordance with good agricultural practice as inert (or occasionally active) ingredients in pesticide formulations applied to growing crops only.Urea is exempted from the requirement of a tolerance when used as a stabilizer, inhibitor in accordance with good agricultural practice as inert (or occasionally active) ingredients in pesticide formulations applied to animals.An exemption from the requirement of a tolerance is established for residues of the frost protectant urea in or on the following raw agricultural commodities when used before harvest in the production of. alfalfa, almonds, apples, apricots, artichokes, asparagus, avocados, beans, bell peppers, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, boysenberries, caneberries, canola, cantaloupes, carrots, cauliflower, casaba, celery, cherries, chili peppers, chinese cabbage (bok choy, napa), cooking peppers, corn, cotton, crenshaw, cucumbers, figs, grapefruit, grapes, honeydew melon, hops, kiwifruit, kohlrabi, lemons, lentils, lettuce, limes, macadamia nuts, musk melon, nectarines, olives, onions, oranges, peaches, pears, peanuts, peas, persian melon, pistachios, plums, potatoes, pumpkin, prunes, radish, raspberries, rice, safflower, sorghum, spinach, spinach (New Zealand), squash (winter and summer), strawberries, sugar beets, sunflower, sweet pepper, table beets, tangerines, tomatoes, walnuts, watermelon, and zucchini. |
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| Reactivity Profile | UREA is a weak base. Reacts with hypochlorites to form nitrogen trichloride which explodes spontaneously in air [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 63:3530-32]. Same is true for phosphorus pentachloride. It reacts with azo and diazo compounds to generate toxic gases. Reacts with strong reducing agents to form flammable gases (hydrogen). The heating of improper stoichiometric amounts of urea and sodium nitrite lead to an explosion. Heated mixtures of oxalic acid and urea yielded rapid evolution of gases, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and ammonia (if hot, can be explosive). Titanium tetrachloride and urea slowly formed a complex during 6 weeks at 80 °C, decomposed violently at 90 C, [Chem. Abs., 1966, 64, 9219b]. Urea ignites spontaneously on stirring with nitrosyl perchlorate due to the formation of the diazonium perchlorate. Oxalic acid and urea react at high temperatures to form toxic and flammable ammonia and carbon monoxide gases, and inert CO2 gas [Von Bentzinger, R. et al., Praxis Naturwiss. Chem., 1987, 36(8), 41-42]. |
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| Fire fighting | Fire Extinguishing Agents: Water (USCG, 1999)In case of fire in the surroundings, use appropriate extinguishing media. |
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| First aid measures | Fresh air, rest.Rinse and then wash skin with water and soap.First rinse with plenty of water for several minutes (remove contact lenses if easily possible), then refer for medical attention.Give one or two glasses of water to drink. Rest. |
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| First aid | EYES: First check the victim for contact lenses and remove if present. Flush victim's eyes with water or normal saline solution for 20 to 30 minutes while simultaneously calling a hospital or poison control center. Do not put any ointments, oils, or medication in the victim's eyes without specific instructions from a physician. IMMEDIATELY transport the victim after flushing eyes to a hospital even if no symptoms (such as redness or irritation) develop. |
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| Safe storage | Separated from incompatible materials. See Chemical Dangers. |
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| Cleanup methods | Water Spill: Contain by damming, water diversion or natural barriers. Remove and treat contaminated liquids. Absorb small amounts of liquid spill with natural or synthetic sorbents, shovel into containers and cover.If urea is spilled in solid form, shovel material into containers and cover. Construct barriers to contain solutions or divert to impermeable holding area. Remove material by manual or mechanical means. |
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| Nonfire spill response | SMALL SPILLS AND LEAKAGE: If you spill this chemical, you should dampen the solid spill material with water, then transfer the dampened material to a suitable container. Use absorbent paper dampened with water to pick up any remaining material. Seal your contaminated clothing and the absorbent paper in a vapor-tight plastic bag for eventual disposal. Wash all contaminated surfaces with a soap and water solution. Do not reenter the contaminated area until the Safety Officer (or other responsible person) has verified that the area has been properly cleaned. |
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| Disposal methods | SRP: At the time of review, criteria for land treatment or burial (sanitary landfill) disposal practices are subject to significant revision. Prior to implementing land disposal of waste residue (including waste sludge), consult with environmental regulatory agencies for guidance on acceptable disposal practices.Urea is a waste chemical stream constituent which may be subjected to ultimate disposal by controlled incineration. Incinerator is equipped with a scrubber or thermal unit to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.The following wastewater treatment technology has been investigated for urea: Concentration process: Biological treatment. |
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| Spillage disposal | Sweep spilled substance into covered containers. If appropriate, moisten first to prevent dusting. Wash away remainder with plenty of water. |
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| Preventive Measures | SRP: The scientific literature for the use of contact lenses in industry is conflicting. The benefit or detrimental effects of wearing contact lenses depend not only upon the substance, but also on factors including the form of the substance, characteristics and duration of the exposure, the uses of other eye protection equipment, and the hygiene of the lenses. However, there may be individual substances whose irritating or corrosive properties are such that the wearing of contact lenses would be harmful to the eye. In those specific cases, contact lenses should not be worn. In any event, the usual eye protection equipment should be worn even when contact lenses are in place. |
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| Eye Prevention | Wear safety spectacles. |
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| Inhalation Risk | Evaporation at 20 °C is negligiblea nuisance-causing concentration of airborne particles can, however, be reached quickly , especially if powdered. |
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| Skin Prevention | Protective gloves. |
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| Interactions | A case of sudden collapse after the intra-amniotic injection of 5 mg dinoprostone (Prostaglandin E2) and 40 g urea for pregnancy termination in a 36 yr old woman after the diagnosis of fetal Down's syndrome is reported. Within one minute of injection of a test dose of one mg of dinoprostone, the patient collapsed. Intravenous injections of 100 mg hydrocortisone and 10 mg chlorpheniramine maleate were administered and the patient was given oxygen by a face mask. Within 10 minutes blood pressure had returned to 110/68 mm Hg, and after a further 15 minutes pulse rate was normal.TREATMENT OF GUINEA PIGS WITH UREA INCR THE EFFECT OF THEIR SUBSEQUENT SENSITIZATION WITH EPOXY RESIN (EGK-19) OR K2CR207. UREA TREATMENT INCR PERCENTAGE OF ANIMALS SENSITIZED BY EPOXY RESINS FROM 50-87%. UREA ALONE DID NOT SENSITIZE SKIN.The hemolytic action on human red blood cells (RBC) and the aggregations of human and rat red blood cells in the presence of sodium alginate were studied. Sodium alginate had no hemolytic action on human red blood cells. Human and rat red blood cells showed a marked aggregation by sodium alginate in a neutral medium. Sodium alginates having larger molecular weights showed more pronounced activities for aggregation of red blood cells as compared with those having smaller molecular weights, and the aggregation of red blood cells increased with an increase in the concentration of sodium alginate. The aggregation was inhibited by urea, suggesting the aggregation of red blood cells is caused by hydrogen bonding. When sodium alginate was added to human or rat blood rouleaux formation of red blood cells covered with fibrin net was observed in the coagulation cruor (blood clot).Osmotic diuretics (mannitol, urea) decrease the effect on serum lithium levelsignificant increase in lithium excretion. /Lithium-drug interactionsfrom table/ |
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| Ecotoxicity values | Toxicity threshold: Scenedesmus quadricauda (green algae) >10,000 mg/l, toxic effect: multiplication inhibition of cell. /Time not specified/Toxicity threshold: Entosiphon sulcatum (protozoa) >29 mg/l, toxic effect: inhibition of cell multiplication. /Time not specified/Toxicity threshold: Pseudomonas putida >10,000 mg/ltoxic effect: inhibition of cell multiplication. /Time not specified/ |
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| Environmental fate | TERRESTRIAL FATE: Based on a classification scheme(1), a Koc value of 8(2) indicates that urea is expected to have very high mobility in soil(SRC). Volatilization of urea from moist soil surfaces is not expected to be an important fate process(3) given an estimated Henry's Law constant of 1.74X10-12 atm-cu m/mole(SRC) determined from its vapor pressure, 1.20X10-5 mm Hg(4), and water solubility, 5.45x10+5 mg/l(5). Urea is not expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces(SRC) based upon its vapor pressure(4). Various field and laboratory studies have demonstrated that urea degrades rapidly in most soils(6-8). Urea is rapidly hydrolyzed to ammonium ions through soil urease activity(6) which produces volatile gases, i.e., ammonia and carbon dioxide(9). In a variety of soils, the hydrolysis may near completion within 24 hrs(7). However, the rate of hydrolysis can be much slower depending upon the soil type, moisture content, and urea formulation(6). For example, increasing the pellet size of urea fertilizers can decrease the rate of urea decomposition from days to weeks(6). In a study examining the fate of soil-applied urea, a major part (e.g., 22-49%) of the applied urea was lost in gaseous form (e.g., ammonia or N2O)(10). Although soil adsorption studies have demonstrated that urea adsorbs very weakly to soil(11)only a minor part was leached out of soil (<1%) in this study(10). Roughly one third (eg, 26-43%), however, was incorporated into soil organic matter(10).AQUATIC FATE: Based on a classification scheme(1), a Koc value of 8(2), indicates that urea is not expected to adsorb to suspended solids and sediment(SRC). Volatilization from water surfaces is not expected(3) based upon an estimated Henry's Law constant of 1.74X10-12 atm-cu m/mole(SRC) determined from its vapor pressure, 1.20X10-5 mm Hg(4), and water solubility, 5.45X10+5 mg/l(5). According to a classification scheme(6), BCF values of 1(7) and <10(8) suggest the potential for bioconcentration in aquatic organisms is low(SRC). Urea is rapidly hydrolyzed to ammonia and carbon dioxide in environmental systems by the extracellular enzyme, urease, which originates from microorganisms and plant roots(9). The degradation of urea was examined in a river die-away study using various river waters and test conditions(10). At 20 °C, degradation of urea was complete within 6-14 days of incubation, while at lower temperatures (e.g., 4-12 °C) little or no degradation occurred in 10-14 days(10). Abiotic hydrolysis of urea occurs very slowly in relation to biotic hydrolysis(11).ATMOSPHERIC FATE: According to a model of gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds in the atmosphere(1), urea, which has a vapor pressure of 1.2X10-5 mm Hg at 25 °C(2), will exist in both the vapor and particulate phases in the ambient atmosphere(SRC). Vapor-phase urea is degraded in the atmosphere by reaction with photochemically-produced hydroxyl radicals(SRC)the half-life for this reaction in air is estimated to be 9.6 days(SRC), calculated from its rate constant of 4.00X10-11 cu cm/molecule-sec at 25 °C(3). Particulate-phase urea may be removed from the air by wet and dry deposition(SRC). |
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| Exposure routes | The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation of its aerosol and by ingestion. |
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| Toxicity summary | Safe in the present practices of use and concentration. Ingredient, concentration, and use information are available in documents discoverable at https://cir-reports.cir-safety.org |
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| Signs and Symptoms | Cough. Shortness of breath. Sore throat.Redness.Convulsions. Headache. Nausea. Vomiting. |
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| Effluent Concentrations | Domestic sewage and sewer effluent contained 2-6 mg/l urea and 0.020 mg/l urea, respectively(1). A primary domestic sewage plant effluent contained 0.016-0.043 mg/l urea(1). Nitrogen fluxes to the atmosphere as a direct consequence of the use of urea in agriculture are estimated at 5-10X10+9 g nitrogen(2)ammonia emissions account for 10-20% loss of urea nitrogen applied to soil while nitrous oxide and NOx emissions account for 0.11% and approximately 1%, respectively, of atmospheric fluxes(2). |
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| EPA IRIS Information | Urea |
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| Soil Adsorption/Mobility | The adsorption of urea was measured in six different British soils with organic carbon contents ranging from 1.76 to 36.5%(1). No adsorption was measurable in five of the soils(1). In a sixth soil (36.5% organic carbon), a Koc of 8 can be determined from the Freundlich isotherm(SRC). According to a classification scheme(2), this Koc value suggests that urea is expected to have high mobility in soil. However, it has been reported that urea can adsorb to humic acids by free-radical complexation(3). Complexed urea may adsorb to soil more strongly than uncomplexed urea(SRC). |
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| Natural Pollution Sources | Urea is a natural product of nitrogen and protein metabolism(1,2)it also occurs in urine(3) and animal waste(2). |
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| Human Toxicity Excerpts | ADVERSE REACTIONS INCLUDE HEADACHE, NAUSEA, VOMITING, SYNCOPE, DISORIENTATION, TRANSIENT CONFUSION, & ELECTROLYTE DEPLETION (HYPONATREMIA & HYPOKALEMIA).BECAUSE THE EYE IS PERMEABLE TO UREA, REBOUND ELEVATION IN INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE & VITREOUS VOL MAY OCCUR AFTER OCULAR HYPOTENSIVE EFFECT HAS TERMINATED (ABOUT 8 TO 12 HR AFTER ADMIN).THE SYSTEMIC TOXICITY OF UREA IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF MANNITOL. UREA IS IRRITATING TO TISSUESIT CAUSES PAIN AT SITE OF INFUSION & NECROSIS MAY RESULT IF EXTRAVASATION OCCURS. SUPERFICIAL & DEEP THROMBOSIS MAY RESULT IF UREA IS INFUSED IN VEINS OF LOWER EXTREMITIES.Human reproductive effects by intraplacental route: fertility effects. ... Human mutation data reported. A human skin irritant. |
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| Artificial Pollution Sources | Urea's production and wide use as a fertilizer and animal feed(1,2) is expected to result in its direct release to the environment(SRC). Urea's production and use as a chemical intermediate, stabilizer in explosives, medicine (diuretic), and viscosity modifier (for starch or casein-based paper coatings), and use in plastics, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, dentifrices, flameproofing agents, and preparation of biuret(3) may result in its release to the environment through various waste streams(SRC). |
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| Atmospheric standards | This action promulgates standards of performance for equipment leaks of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry (SOCMI). The intended effect of these standards is to require all newly constructed, modified, and reconstructed SOCMI process units to use the best demonstrated system of continuous emission reduction for equipment leaks of VOC, considering costs, non air quality health and environmental impact and energy requirements. Urea is produced, as an intermediate or a final product, by process units covered under this subpart. |
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