Cesium Chloride

3.988

3.99 @25 °C

Soluble in ethanol

Insoluble in acetone

Very sol in methanol

In water, 1.86 kg/liter @ 20 °C; 2.7 kg/liter @ 100 °C; 1.62 kg/liter @ 0 deg

1290 °C (sublimes)

1297 °C @760 [mm Hg]

646 °C

646 °C

This chemical does not meet GHS hazard criteria for 28.4% (69 of 243) of reports.

Warning

H361 (50.6%): Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child [Warning Reproductive toxicity]

P203, P280, P318, P405, and P501 (click each P-code to see the statement)

Aggregated GHS information provided per 243 reports by companies from 12 notifications to the ECHA C&L Inventory. Each notification may be associated with multiple companies.

Chemical: Cesium chloride (CsCl)

Status: Active Update: 04-04-2023 https://echa.europa.eu/registration-dossier/-/registered-dossier/10582

Caesium chloride: Does not have an individual approval but may be used under an appropriate group standard

Animal feeding studies: cesium is relatively nontoxic; A man who ingested 34 mg/kg of cesium chloride after morning and evening meals for 36 days experienced anorexia, nausea, and diarrhea. EKG changes have been described in patients after ingestion of cesium chloride as a homeopathic remedy. [ATSDR ToxProfiles] See Cesium and Cesium, radioactive.

/Goiania Radiation Incident/ On September 13, 1987, two scavengers found an abandoned teletherapy device in an abandoned medical clinic in Goiania, Brazil. The machine contained a radioactive 137Cs source with an activity of 1,375 Ci (0.9 TBq) in the form of powdered and soluble 137CsCl. After removing the source from its shield, they took it home and, in a crude attempt to break it apart, managed to rupture the source and spread pieces about the property. Both became ill within hours. Either 1 or 5 days later, according to various versions of the story, the device became the property of a junk dealer. This dealer noticed a luminescence emanating from the unit and used tools to cut the unit apart to gain access to the material inside. The rupture allowed the 137CsCl powder to disperse easily and be further distributed by wind suspension and rainwater runoff. Several land areas and 129 people were significantly contaminated, resulting in four deaths. The accident primarily exposed or contaminated about 80 people, who were all related, and an additional 170 were later contaminated to much lower levels. Initially, 11 individuals who had handled the source and who were the most highly contaminated were taken to the Hospital Twenty-two people were evacuated from contaminated homes and others who were in the vicinity were encouraged to /leave/ . In a prioritized manner, the contaminated victims were provided with medical care, clean clothing, nourishment and orientation, and contamination monitoring; the public was informed. Because of exaggerated claims of water contamination by the press, an additional 112,000 unaffected individuals went to /the evacuation site/ for monitoring. A total of 249 were found to be contaminated. About half had shoe and clothing contamination, that could have been picked up from walking in the stadium. Of the other 129, who were both internally and externally contaminated, 21 required intense medical treatment. Ten of these were seriously compromised, four died, and one required forearm amputation. The 137Cs contamination was spread by social contacts, the sale of contaminated material, the movement of pieces of the source, and wind and rain dispersal. Contamination was found on 7 major properties; in 42 residences, including 22 homes of family and friends who were evacuated and 20 others where radiation levels ranged from 0.1 to 1 rem/hr (1-10 mSv/hr); and on 68 of the more than 10 million currency bills tested. The population was internally exposed by inhalation and the ingestion of fruits and vegetables, and externally exposed to the penetrating 137Cs gamma radiation, but the drinking water supply was found to be clean. Contaminated materials in the environment were removed from the various sites and loaded into containers, with liquids being immobilized in concrete. Decontamination limits for solids were set by the national standard. Anything contaminated below 74 kBq/kg was considered to be clean and unaffected by the accident. Contamination level was characterized by the contact radiation level, with values of 0.2 and 2 rem/hr (2 and 20 mSv/hr) being the respective limits for low- and medium-level contamination. An estimated 1,200 Ci (44 TBq) of 137Cs was recaptured during the decontamination effort, which left the area with no significant residual hazard.. .

SRP: The most favorable course of action is to use an alternative chemical product with less inherent propensity for occupational exposure or environmental contamination. Recycle any unused portion of the material for its approved use or return it to the manufacturer or supplier. Ultimate disposal of the chemical must consider: the material's impact on air quality; potential migration in soil or water; effects on animal, aquatic, and plant life; and conformance with environmental and public health regulations.

7.8 [mg/m3]

86 [mg/m3]

510 [mg/m3]

/CASE REPORTS/ A 47-yr-old patient presented with syncope and recurrent episodes of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. She had evidence of prolonged QT interval by ECG and had been taking cesium as a dietary supplement. Correction of the hypokalemia and discontinuation of the cesium resulted in normalization of the QT interval during follow-up with no further recurrence of ventricular arrhythmias. The use of this drug is potentially hazardous as it may induce fatal ventricular arrhythmias.

/SPECIAL STUDIES/ In an accident involving the stealing and breaching of a radiotherapy source in Goiania, Brazil, 39 individuals had a high level of 137Cs internal contamination. Prussian Blue was used, in doses that varied from 3-10 g d-1 for adults, to enhance the elimination of 137Cs from the body. The total internal committed doses and the effect of Prussian Blue treatment for 15 contaminated adults involved in this accident have been evaluated in this paper. Prussian Blue caused dose reductions in the range of 51-84%, with an average of 71%. This reduction was shown to be independent of the dosage of Prussian Blue. ...

/SPECIAL STUDIES/ In September 1987, the Goiania radiological accident involving a source of 137Cs culminated in about 140 victims who presented internal and/or external contamination and/or external exposure to radiation and/or radiation burns. Internal contamination was verified through analysis of urine and fecal samples. Internal contamination was also evaluated by measurements performed at the whole-body counter installed in Goiania in November 1987. To enhance the decorporation of 137Cs, patients were treated with the following: 1 ) Prussian Blue, oral administration, in 46 patients; 2 ) diuretics, oral administration, in 17 patients; 3 ) induced perspiration, increasing 137Cs elimination. These procedures were done under rigorous clinical evaluation and considering the data from assay of excreta and data obtained from the whole-body counter. The doses of Prussian Blue exceeded about 6.5 times the dose previously indicated in the literature. It was the first time diuretics were used in humans to treat 137Cs internal contamination. The results of these procedures are discussed.

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ Cesium chloride administration causes ventricular tachyarrhythmias in dogs, with many of the features of the clinical long QT syndrome... Cesium-induced arrhythmias were suppressed by the calcium antagonist diltiazem, magnesium chloride, beta blockade (with atenolol), or vagal nerve stimulation--all interventions that can suppress calcium entry. beta-Adrenergic stimulation with isoproterenol initiated ventricular arrhythmias in the presence of subarrhythmic doses of cesium. Sodium channel blockers (lidocaine and high concentrations of quinidine) also suppressed cesium-induced arrhythmias...We conclude that cesium-induced ventricular arrhythmias in this model are suppressed by agents that reduce transmembrane calcium currents as well as by high doses of sodium channel blockers.

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ Several experimental models of torsades de pointes... can be classified in 2 categories: morphological models designed to reproduce the ECG features of "torsade", ... and pharmacological models designed to obtain in vivo early after depolarizations, with toxic agents such as cesium chloride... .

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ Cesium chloride has widely been used in experimental models to produce various ventricular arrhythmias. The study was designed to evaluate whether type and mechanism of these arrhythmias are dose-dependent... In 7 dogs with acute AV-block, ...three-dimensional activation patterns of ventricular arrhythmias induced by three injections of 1 mmol/kg cesium chloride at 20 minute intervals /were determined/... . Out of all arrhythmias induced, 25 ventricular extrasystoles, 31 monomorphic and 47 polymorphic ventricular tachycardias were mapped. Nonsustained ventricular tachycardias were readily inducible by a single bolus of cesium chloride, whereas sustained episodes required repetitive injections (1.45 +/- 0.61 vs. 2.61 +/- 0.57 doses, p<0.05). Polymorphic tachycardias were observed more commonly than monomorphic tachycardias (87 vs. 31). Initiation and maintenance of cesium induced arrhythmias were exclusively based on focal mechanisms originating from the subendocardium, irrespective of morphology and dosage. All monomorphic arrhythmias were caused by repetitive firing of single immobile foci located in either the right or the left ventricle. Bi- and multifocal mechanisms, however, were found to underlie the polymorphic episodes. Although there is a dose-dependence as to the sustenance of mono- or polymorphic tachycardias, this does not reflect on the three-dimensional activation pattern of cesium induced arrhythmias, which are due to mono- or multifocal activation originating from the subendocardium.

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ Cesium chloride (CsCl) at several dose levels (1.25-20.0 mEq/kg ip) was administered acutely to albino mice whose behavior was compared with that in corresponding saline controls. Motor activity decreased and Straub tail occurred in a dose-related manner. Signs of autonomic disturbance, diarrhea, and salivation were seen with toxic doses.

For more Non-Human Toxicity Excerpts (Complete) data for CESIUM CHLORIDE (19 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

The FDA has determined that the 500 mg Prussian blue capsules, when manufactured under the conditions of an approved New Drug Application (NDA), can be found safe and effective for the treatment of known or suspected internal contamination with radioactive cesium, radioactive thallium, or non-radioactive thallium. Prussian blue can be used to treat contamination that may occur as a result of a routine accidental poisoning, as well as contamination associated with a terrorist event. Prussian blue works by trapping thallium and cesium in the intestine, so that they can be passed out of the body in the stool rather than be re-absorbed. If persons are exposed to radioactive cesium, radioactive thallium, or non-radioactive thallium, taking Prussian blue may reduce the risk of death and major illness from radiation or poisoning. Prussian blue should be taken as soon as possible after exposure. However, even when treatment cannot be started right away, patients should be given Prussian blue as soon as it becomes available because it is still effective even after time has elapsed since exposure.

... potassium channel blocker ... capable of producing early after-depolarizations (EADs) and polymorphic ventricular tachyarrhythmias resembling torsades de pointes.

Cesium ions block potassium channels in biological membranes in a voltage dependent manner. For example, external cesium blocks inward current with little or no effect on outward current. Consequently, it produces a characteristic N-shaped current-voltage relationship. /Cesium ions/

Real and simulated particulate fallout solutions of 134CsCl were fed to 102 healthy volunteers. An average of 3% of the radioactivity of week-old fallout was absorbed: the range was 0-9%.

Data were obtained for the distribution-excretion pattern of 137Cs in guinea pigs over a period of 100 days after administration by three different routes. Three groups of twenty guinea pigs were used. Solutions of cesium chloride containing 137Cs as a tracer were administered to the animals by inhalation, by ingestion and by i.p. injection. Urine and feces were collected daily until sacrifice, and the time-tissue distribution patterns were determined after death. All measurements were made by gamma counting with a NaI (Tl) detector. Since cesium chloride is extremely soluble, it was absorbed rapidly from the lungs, the digestive tract and the abdominal cavity. After the first day, the skeletal muscle had the largest concentration of 137Cs. Its retention in muscle may be approximated by a single exponential function with an average biological half-life of 10 days. Concentration in other tissues did not differ significantly from that in the muscle. The 137Cs concentration in total excretion followed an exponential pattern with a rapidly and a slowly decreasing component. The average urine-to-feces ratio was 2.8. More than 95 per cent was excreted within 32 days; at this time, approximately 65 per cent of the remaining radioactivity was located in the skeletal muscle.

Absorption of CsCl, SrCl2, BaCl2 and CeCl3 deposited on nasal membranes directly into the general circulation was studied in Syrian hamsters and compared with gastrointestinal tract absorption. More than 50 % of the cesium, strontium and barium was absorbed directly from the nasal membranes but <4 % of the cerium. For all isotopes, nasal absorption was approximately = or >gastrointestinal absorption during the first 4 hr after administration. This study emphasized the importance of direct nasal absorption of deposited materials in inhalation toxicity evaluations especially with readily soluble aerosols having mass median aerodynamic diameters >5 m when nasopharyngeal deposition predominates.

Used in x-ray screens and radiographic contrast medium; [Merck Index]

In x-ray fluorescent screens; as radiographic contrast medium; in manuf of cesium.

There are currently 160 gamma-irradiation facilities and over 600 electron-beam facilities in operation throughout the world. The most widespread uses of these facilities are the sterilization of medical and pharmaceutical products, the preservation of foodstuffs, polymer synthesis and modification, and the eradication of insect infestation For gamma facilities the source would typically be 60Co in the petabequerel range; some 137Cs sources are also used.

Both x-ray equipment and sealed sources are used in industrial radiography. The most common sealed sources are 192Ir... , 60Co..., and 137Cs (activity between 0.3 and 80 GBq).

Alkaline decomposition is carried out by roasting the pollucite ore with either a calcium carbonate-calcium chloride mix at 800-900 °C or with a sodium carbonate-sodium chloride mix at 600-800 °C followed by a water leach of the roasted mass. The resultant cesium chloride solution is separated from the gangue by filtration.

Acid digestion of pollucite is the preferred commercial process for producing pure cesium. Hydrofluoric, hydrobromic, and sulfuric acid may be employed in this method. Hydrofluoric and hydrobromic acid digestion yield the greatest cesium recovery, but the inherent difficulties of safely handling these acids limit their use. Digestion with hydrochloric acid takes place at elevated temperatures and produces a solution of mixed cesium chlorides, aluminum, and other alkali metals separated from the siliceous residue by filtration. The impure cesium chloride can be purified as cesium chloride double salts that are then recrystallized. The purified double salts are decomposed to cesium chloride by hydrolysis or precipitated with hydrogen sulfide.

Sulfuric acid digestion is performed at 110 °C with a 35-40% solution of sulfuric acid, followed by a hot water wash and vacuum filtration. Cesium alum is crystallized from the leach filtrate by stage cooling to 50 °C and then 20 °C, and roasted in the presence of 4% carbon. The residue is leached to produce cesium sulfate solution, which can be converted to cesium chloride.

Cesium chloride (CsCl): ACTIVE

Not produced in the USA; although there is no information regarding the countries shipping cesium compounds (e.g., cesium chloride) to the USA, it is believed that Canada is the major source of cesium compounds (e.g., cesium chloride).