Barium Carbonate

4.3 at 68 °F (USCG, 1999) - Denser than water; will sink

4.308 g/cu cm

4.43 g/cm³

4.43 @25 °C

In water, 0.0014 g/100 g at 20 °C

Slightly soluble (1:1000) in carbon dioxide-water; soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid, nitric acid or acetic acid; soluble in ammonium chloride or ammonium nitrate solutions

Insoluble in sulfuric acid

Insoluble in ethanol

Solubility in water, g/100ml at 20 °C: 0.002 (very poor)

ERG is for "Barium compound, n.o.s." Vapor pressure is negligible. 811 °C

1380 °C (decomposes)

No melting point; decomposes at >1300 °C

Barium carbonate is a white powder. It is insoluble in water and soluble in most acids, with the exception of sulfuric acid. It has a specific gravity of 4.275. It is toxic by ingestion.

Liquid; CBI; Dry Powder

Water insoluble, white powder; [CAMEO]

WHITE CRYSTALLINE POWDER.

Warning

H302: Harmful if swallowed [Warning Acute toxicity, oral]

P264, P270, P301+P317, P330, and P501 (click each P-code to see the statement)

This chemical does not meet GHS hazard criteria for 8.9% (137 of 1535) of reports.

Warning

H302 (91%): Harmful if swallowed [Warning Acute toxicity, oral]

Chemical: Carbonic acid, barium salt (1:1)

Carbonic acid, barium salt (1:1) is listed on the EPA's Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) system. Manufacturers and importers of Carbonic acid, barium salt (1:1) 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)

Status: Active Update: 31-01-2023 https://echa.europa.eu/registration-dossier/-/registered-dossier/15337

Barium carbonate: Does not have an individual approval but may be used under an appropriate group standard

Excerpt from ERG Guide 154 [Substances - Toxic and/or Corrosive (Non-Combustible)]:

Not combustible. Gives off irritating or toxic fumes (or gases) in a fire.

(INGESTION ONLY): excessive salivation, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, and violent purging with watery and bloody stools; a slow and often irregular pulse and a transient elevation in arterial blood pressure; tinnitus, giddiness and vertigo; muscle twitchings, progressing to convulsions and/or paralysis; dilated pupils with impaired accommodation; confusion and increasing somnolence, without coma; collapse and death from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. (USCG, 1999)

U.S. Dept Health & Human Services/Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry; Toxicological Profile for Barium and Barium Compounds (August 2007) Toxicological Profile 24. The ATSDR toxicological profile succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for a hazardous substance.[Available from, as of July 23, 2010: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/index.asp]

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) for Barium and compounds (7440-39-3) Toxicological Review.[Available from, as of March, 1998: http://www.epa.gov/iris/]

WHO; Environ Health Criteria 107: Barium (1990). EHC are designed for scientists and administrators responsible for the establishment of safety standards and regulations and provide basic scientific risk evaluations of a wide range of chemicals and groups of chemicals.[Available from, as of August 3, 2010: http://www.inchem.org/pages/ehc.html]

European Commission, ESIS; IUCLID Dataset, Barium carbonate, natural (513-77-9) (2000 CD-ROM edition) contains information on use, toxicology, and environmental effects of this chemical as supplied to the European Union by industry.[Available from, as of August 9, 2010: http://esis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/]

D005; A solid waste containing barium may or may not become characterized as a hazardous waste when subjected to the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure listed in 40 CFR 261.24, and if so characterized, must be managed as a hazardous waste. /Barium/

Excerpt from ERG Guide 154 [Substances - Toxic and/or Corrosive (Non-Combustible)]:

In case of fire in the surroundings, use appropriate extinguishing media.

Fresh air, rest.

Rinse skin with plenty of water or shower.

Rinse with plenty of water for several minutes (remove contact lenses if easily possible).

Rinse mouth. Refer for medical attention .

Rapid oral administration of a soluble sulfate in water, such as magnesium or sodium sulfate (2 oz), alum (4 gm), or very dilute sulfuric acid (30 ml of a 10% solution diluted to 1 qt). These agents precipitate barium as the insoluble sulfate. Gastric lavage or induced emesis. Seek medical attention. (USCG, 1999)

If material on fire or involved in fire: Extinguish fire using agent suitable for type of surrounding fire. (Material itself does not burn or burns with difficulty.) Cool all affected containers with flooding quantities of water. Apply water from as far a distance as possible. Use foam, dry chemical, or carbon dioxide. Keep run-off water out of sewers and water sources.

Wear positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus.

Separated from bromotrifluoride, strong acids, food and feedstuffs.

Barium carbonate is stored in silos ...

Sweep spilled substance into containers. Carefully collect remainder, then remove to safe place.

Environmental considerations - land spill: Dig a pit, pond, lagoon, holding area to contain liquid or solid material. /SRP: If time permits, pits, ponds, lagoons, soak holes, or holding areas should be sealed with an impermeable flexible membrane liner./ Cover solids with a plastic sheet to prevent dissolving in rain or fire fighting water. Dike surface flow using soil, sand bags, foamed polyurethane, or foamed concrete.

Environmental considerations - water spill: Use natural barriers or oil spill control booms to limit spill travel. Use natural deep water pockets, excavated lagoons, or sand bag barriers to trap material at bottom. Remove trapped matrial with suction hoses.

Generators of waste (equal to or greater than 100 kg/mo) containing this contaminant, EPA hazardous waste number D005, must conform with USEPA regulations in storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste.

Group III Containers (both combustible and non-combustible) that previously held organic mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, or inorganic pesticides should be triple rinsed, punctured and disposed of in a sanitary landfill. Non-rinsed containers should be encapsulated and buried at a specially designated landfill site. /Organic mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, or inorganic pesticides/

... Ion exchange, lime softening and reverse osmosis are effective to remove barium from drinking water. Conventional coagulation/filtration processes are not effective to remove barium from drinking water. /Barium ion/

Package lots. Place in a separate labeled container for recycling or disposal. Small quantities. Wear nitrile rubber gloves, laboratory coat, and eye protection. Avoid breathing dust. Dissolve the barium salt in the minimum volume of water. For each gram of barium salt, add 15 mL of 10% sodium sulfate solution. Let stand for 1 week. Test for completeness of precipitation by adding a few drops of 10% sodium sulfate solution. If required, add more sodium sulfate solution until no further precipitation occurs. Decant supernatant liquid or filter solid. Treat solid as normal refuse. Wash liquid into drain. /Barium salt/

Personal protection: particulate filter respirator adapted to the airborne concentration of the substance. Sweep spilled substance into covered containers. Carefully collect remainder. Then store and dispose of according to local regulations.

SRP: Contaminated protective clothing should be segregated in such a manner so that there is no direct personal contact by personnel who handle, dispose, or clean the clothing. Quality assurance to ascertain the completeness of the cleaning procedures should be implemented before the decontaminated protective clothing is returned for reuse by the workers. Contaminated clothing should not be taken home at end of shift, but should remain at employee's place of work for cleaning.

SRP: Wastewater from contaminant suppression, cleaning of protective clothing/equipment, or contaminated sites should be contained and evaluated for subject chemical or decomposition product concentrations. Concentrations shall be lower than applicable environmental discharge or disposal criteria. Alternatively, pretreatment and/or discharge to a permitted wastewater treatment facility is acceptable only after review by the governing authority and assurance that "pass through" violations will not occur. Due consideration shall be given to remediation worker exposure (inhalation, dermal and ingestion) as well as fate during treatment, transfer and disposal. If it is not practicable to manage the chemical in this fashion, it must be evaluated in accordance with EPA 40 CFR Part 261, specifically Subpart B, in order to determine the appropriate local, state and federal requirements for disposal.

If material not on fire and not involved in fire: Keep sparks, flames, and other sources of ignition away. Keep material out of water sources and sewers. Build dikes to contain flow as necessary. Do not use water.

Personnel protection: Avoid breathing vapors. Keep upwind ... Avoid bodily contact with the material ... Do not handle broken packages unless wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.

The health effects of the different barium compounds depend on how well the compound dissolves in water or the stomach contents. At low doses, barium acts as a muscle stimulant, while higher doses affect the nervous system, causing cardiac irregularities, tremors, weakness, anxiety, dyspnea, paralysisand possibly death. Barium may also cause gastrointestinal disturbances, damage the kidneys and cause decreases in body weight. (L214)

LC50; Species: Gambusia affinis (mosquito fish); Conditions: static, natural pond water was used which showed some turbidity, pH 7.6-8.5; Concentration: >10 g/L for 96 hr

LC50; Species: Gambusia affinis (Western mosquito fish, female adult); Conditions: freshwater, static, 17-20 °C, pH 7.6-8.5, alkalinity <100 mg/L CaCO3; Concentration: 6950000 ug/L for 24, 48, 96 hr /formulation/

The substance can be absorbed into the body by ingestion.

Oral (L214) ; inhalation (L214)

IDENTIFICATION: In nature barium occurs in a combined state, the principal forms being barite (barium sulfate) and witherite (barium carbonate). Barium carbonate has a very low water solubility. Barium and its compounds are used in diverse industrial products ranging from ceramics to lubricants. It is used in the manufacture of alloys, as a loader for paper, soap, rubber and linoleum, in the manufacture of valves and as an extinguisher for radium, uranium and plutonium fires. Anthropogenic sources of barium are primarily industrial. Emissions may result from mining, refining or processing barium minerals and the manufacture of barium products. Mining and processing of barite ore releases particulates into the air and from fugitive dists from the use of barite in oil drilling and oil related industries. HUMAN EXPOSURE: It is difficult to assess the uptake of ingested barium because of a number of factors affect absorption. ANIMAL/PLANT STUDIES: Insoluble barium compounds such as barium carbonate, accumulate in the lungs and are cleared slowly ciliary action. Oral or inhalation administration of barium carbonate in rats resulted in adverse reproductive effects. In addition, the death rate was higher in the new born offspring of barium treated dams.

Barium is a competitive potassium channel antagonist that blocks the passive efflux of intracellular potassium, resulting in a shift of potassium from extracellular to intracellular compartments. The intracellular translocation of potassium results in a decreased resting membrane potential, making the muscle fibers electrically unexcitable and causing paralysis. Some of these barium's effects may also be due to barium induced neuromuscular blockade and membrane depolarization. (L214)

/AQUATIC SPECIES/ Very limited data are available on the toxicity of barium carbonate to aquatic species, but in natural fresh and marine waters the presence of sulfate ions will limit the availability of the barium ion, which is the toxic moiety of most barium salts. Ba++, dissociated from the carbonate salt, will precipitate with sulfate ions to insoluble BaSO4.

/OTHER TERRESTRIAL SPECIES/ No specific data are available, but due to the ubiquitous presence of barium (mostly as the sulfate or carbonate salt) in soil, the toxicity of barium carbonate to soil dwelling organisms is not deemed of particular concern.

/FIELD STUDIES/ In December 2003, the USEPA released an amended list of 15 "candidate pollutants for exposure and hazard screening" with regard to biosolids land application, including Ba. Therefore, /it was/ decided to monitor soil Ba concentrations from a dryland wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow agroecosystem experiment. This experiment received 10 biennial biosolids applications (1982-2003) at rates from 0 to 26.8 dry Mg/ha per application year. The study was conducted on a Platner loam (Aridic Paleustoll), approximately 30 km east of Brighton, CO. Total soil Ba ... increased with increasing biosolids application rate. In the soil-extraction data from 1988 to 2003, however, we observed significant (P < 0.10) linear or exponential declines in ammonium bicarbonate-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (AB-DTPA) extractable Ba concentrations as a function of increasing biosolids application rates. This was observed in 6 of 7 and 3 of 7 yr for the 0- to 20- and 20- to 60-cm soil depths, respectively. Results suggest that while total soil Ba increased as a result of biosolids application with time, the mineral form of Ba was present in forms not extractable with AB-DTPA. ... /This/ research showed that biosolids application may increase total soil Ba, but soil Ba precipitates are insoluble and should not be an environmental concern in similar soils under similar climatic and management conditions.

Cough. Sore throat.

Redness.

Redness.

Nausea. Vomiting. Abdominal cramps. Diarrhoea. Weakness.

Ingesting excess barium may cause vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, difficulties in breathing, increased or decreased blood pressure, numbness around the face, and muscle weakness. High levels may result in changes in heart rhythm or paralysis and possibly death. (L214)

Barium is a naturally occurring element found in the earth's crust(1) that enters the environment through the weathering of rocks and minerals(SRC). The principal barium minerals are barite (barium sulfate) and witherite (barium carbonate)(1).

Ores of ... witherite are found in Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, California, Nevada, Canada, Mexico.

/SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS/ Most patients with barium intoxication have gastrointestinal and cardiac involvement with tetraplegia. Barium carbonate is a rare cause of hypokalemic periodic paralysis. Diarrhea and arrhythmias are due to direct stimulatory action of barium ions on smooth and cardiac muscles. Heart failure and hypertension may occur in a few cases. Barium blocks the potassium channels and thus potassium efflux from the muscle is reduced whereas the sodium-potassium pump is intact. This causes increased potassium in the muscle and decreased resting membrane potential. Barium acts mainly at the neuromuscular junction by this mechanism. The fatal dose of barium carbonate is 0.8 g and death occurs within 2 to 12 hours.

/SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS/ There are a number of reports of serious health effects in individuals intentionally or accidentally exposed to barium carbonate... . The predominant effect is hypokalemia, which can result in ventricular tachycardia, hypertension and/or hypotension, muscle weakness, and paralysis ... In addition to the effects associated with hypokalemia, gastrointestinal effects such as vomiting, abdominal cramps, and watery diarrhea are typically reported shortly after ingestion.

/SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS/ Potential symptoms of overexposure are excessive salivation, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, violent diarrhea; increased blood pressure; tinnitis, giddiness, vertigo; muscle twitching, convulsions, paralysis; dilated pupils; confusion, somnolence; cardiac arrest; death due to respiratory failure.

/SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS/ ... A benign pneumoconiosis (baritosis) may result from inhalation of ... barium carbonate. It is not incapacitating and is usually reversible with cessation of exposure.

For more Human Toxicity Excerpts (Complete) data for Barium carbonate (24 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ In inhalation studies in guinea pigs/ ... collected particulate material from fumes generated by manual arc-welding (with electrodes using barium fluoride or carbonate) was extracted with dilute hydrochloric acid to give a solution containing barium. Aerosols generated from the barium fume extract were inhaled intratracheally by mechanical ventilation and were found to cause bronchoconstriction to the same extent as the inhalation of pure barium chloride (90 ug/cu m/min).

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ After IV injection, GI symptoms are less marked /than after oral administration, the/ most distinctive feature being slowing of heart. Death is caused by extreme digitalis-like action of barium ion on heart.

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ /Oral administration of/ barium /as barium carbonate/ produces severe colic, diarrhea, and hemorrhage. It has direct action on smooth muscles of arterioles and cardiac muscle, which can result in incr blood pressure, cardiac irregularities, and death.

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ Median lethal doses (in mg/kg) for ingested ... barium carbonate /were reported as/ ... 35-56 in cats. ...

For more Non-Human Toxicity Excerpts (Complete) data for Barium carbonate (22 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

D005; A solid waste containing barium may or may not become characterized as a hazardous waste when subjected to the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure listed in 40 CFR 261.24, and if so characterized, must be managed as a hazardous waste. /Barium/

Persons in charge of vessels or facilities are required to notify the National Response Center (NRC) immediately, when there is a release of this designated hazardous substance, in an amount equal to or greater than its reportable quantity of 1000 lb or 454 kg. The toll free number of the NRC is (800) 424-8802. The rule for determining when notification is required is stated in 40 CFR 302.4 (section IV. D.3.b). /Barium/

(AZ) ARIZONA 1500 ug/L /Barium/

(MN) MINNESOTA 2000 ug/L /Barium/

Maximum Contaminant Level: 2 mg/L /Barium/

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal: 2 mg/L /Barium/

EPA 2000 ug/L /Barium/

Accidental or intentional ingestion of soluble barium salts (e.g., barium carbonate, barium chloride) produces hypokalemia and acute hypertension. Systemic effects of acute barium toxicity include vomiting, diarrhea, cardiac arrhythmia, muscular paralysis, and death. The acute pathophysiological effects of barium are linked with two modes of action: direct muscular stimulation (skeletal, cardiac, and smooth), and hypokalemia. The latter effect is associated with the ability of the barium ion to block potassium (K+) channels and interfere with passive K+ diffusion.

Barium mimics calcium in several tissues and fluids and in physiological functions in which calcium is involved, especially in neurotransmission. Barium would cause a potassium-like depolarization of nerve fibers and calcium influx. Barium ions cause asynchronous release of large numbers of quanta of acetylcholine during trains of impulses; it also causes release of noradrenaline from the sympathetic nerve terminals and catecholamines from the adrenal medulla.

The in vivo solubility in rats of barium chloride, barium carbonate, barium sulfate, and barium fused in clay /was studied/. The chloride and the carbonate disappeared rapidly from the injection site. The sulfate dissolved more slowly; a half-life of 26 days was calculated. The fused clay was largely retained, the half-life being calculated as 1390 days.

Barium compounds are absorbed via ingestion and inhalation, the extent of which depends on the individual compound. In the body, the majority of the barium is found in the bone, while small amounts exists in the muscle, adipose, skin, and connective tissue. Barium is not metabolized in the body, but it may be transported or incorporated into complexes or tissues. Barium is excreted in the urine and faeces. (L214)

0.06 mg barium/animal (as barium carbonate) was given im to rats (strain not given). Most of the dose was resorbed from the injection site within 3 days. 20% of the initial dose remained in the body (mostly in the skeleton) after 280 days. Average barium carbonate concentration at 1 hr was 50% that of barium chloride.

... The absorption of specific barium salt anions /was examined/ in male Sprague-Dawley rats administered radiolabelled barium chloride, sulfate, or carbonate to fasted (24 hr) and non-fasted rats /strain not given/ by gastric intubation. Animals were sacrificed from 2 to 480 min after administration and blood concentrations were measured. In general, barium blood concentrations were higher in fasted animals and reached a peak 15 min after dosing, whereas non-fasted animals had lower barium blood concentrations and peaked 60 min after dosing. The peak blood concentration of the carbonate and sulfate salts were 45% and 85%, respectively, of that of the chloride.

A study ... in which rats /strain not given/ were exposed to barium chloride and barium carbonate in drinking water found the following non-skeletal distribution (skeletal tissue was not examined in the study) 24 hours after ingestion: heart > eye > skeletal muscle > kidney > blood > liver.

Used to manufacture paper, special glass, ceramics, bricks, enamels, paints, rubber, electrodes, and barium salts; Used in oil well drilling, especially through gypsum; Used in brines as a precipitant and in baths as a case hardener; Was used as a rat poison; [HSDB]

Petroleum Production and Refining [Category: Industry]

Rat poison; in ceramics, paints, enamels, marble substitutes, rubber; as analytical reagent; manufacture of paper, barium salts, optical glasses; electrodes

Treatment of brines in chlorine-alkali cells to remove sulfates; rodenticide, production of barium salts, ceramic flux, optical glass, case-hardening baths, ferrites, in radiation-resistant glass for color television tubes.

Used in brick and clay products, production of photographic paper ... In the oil well drilling industry, the barite suspension used as drilling mud can be destabilized by the presence of sol materials such as gypsum. Addition of barium carbonate renders the gypsum insoluble, inhibits the coagulation, and thus permits the mud to retain the desired consistency and dispersion.

Barium carbonate is an additive in oil-well drilling muds. The barite suspensions used in the oil well drilling industry can destabilize when soluble materials such as gypsum are present in the mud. The presence of gypsum leads to coagulation and a loss of consistency in the drilling muds. When added to the muds, barium carbonate precipitates the gypsum and prevents destabilization of the barite suspension.

(1972) 7.54X10+9 G

(1975) 6.35X10+8 G

(1985) 11,034 tons; (1986) 10,313 tons; (1987) 11,404 tons; (1988) 9,653 tons; (1989) 14,401 tons

(2000) 26,200 tons; (2001) 18,600 tons

2023: 10,000,000 - <50,000,000 lb

(1975) 2.54X10+10 G

(1976) 32,194 metric tons

(1972) 42,000 tons.

Estimated production from 1985 to 1989 was 18,000 tons/yr.

For more U.S. Production (Complete) data for Barium carbonate (7 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

45% as an ingredient in glass; 25% as an anti-scumming agent in brick and clay products; 7% as a raw material for barium ferrites; 4% as a chemical intermediate for photographic paper coating; 19% for miscellaneous uses (1974)

In 2000, 50% of the barium carbonate produced was used in glass manufacturing. Other uses include manufacturing of brick and clay products, barium chemicals, barium ferrites, and in the production of photographic papers.

Barium carbonate is made from barium sulfide soln by one of two methods. In the first, the soda ash method, the barium sulfide soln is treated with sodium carbonate, either dissolved or in solid form, producing barium carbonate and sodium disulfide. ... The usual operating temp is 60-70 °C. The resulting slurry is filtered and the barium carbonate is washed, dried, ground, and packaged. This process is thought to be used by about half of the industry ... . In the second main method, carbon dioxide gas is passed through a barium sulfide soln, either batchwise or on a continuous basis, at 40-90 °C. Temp and other operating conditions have a pronounced effect on the size and characteristics of the particles formed. To obtain a satisfactory product, the barium sulfide must react with slightly less than the stoichiometric amt of carbon dioxide; the carbon dioxide may be supplied in pure form, or may be obtained from the combustion gases of barium sulfide reduction kilns.

By precipitation of sol barium salts by carbonates.

Grades: Technical, CP, reagent 99.5%.

ACS grade; -8 mesh particle size, 99 and 99.999% purity grades; 9.9% powder grade; type A & B, powder; type C & D, granular grades

Grades or purity: Reagent grade- 99.0%; ceramic grade- 99.3%; glass grade- 98.8%; electronic ceramic grade- 99.6%

Rat baits usually prepared of one part barium carbonate and four parts of a protein carbonate rich food as rolled oats, fish meal, etc, moistened with milk or water.

All Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing

Carbonic acid, barium salt (1:1): ACTIVE

Occurs in nature as the mineral witherite.