Food & Drink / Compounds / Cobalt oxide (Co3O4, CoO)

Cobalt oxide (Co3O4, CoO) in food: ingestion safety

Moderate risk

Low_to_moderate risk based on available hazard data.

What is cobalt oxide (co3o4, coo)?

Also known as: Cobalt oxide (Co3O4), Cobalt(II,III)-oxid, 四酸化三コバルト, Oxid kobaltnato-kobaltitý.

CAS number
1308-06-1
Molecular formula
Co3O4
Molecular weight
240.797 g/mol
SMILES
[O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[Co+2].[Co+3].[Co+3]
PubChem CID
6432046

Risk for people

Moderate risk

Low_to_moderate risk based on available hazard data.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Cobalt oxide (Co3O4, CoO).

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / IARC—Group 3 - Not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans

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 you encounter cobalt oxide (co3o4, coo)

  • Contaminated Water — Mining site runoff, Industrial discharge, Old infrastructure
  • Food Chain — Fish from contaminated waters, Crops in contaminated soil

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Cobalt oxide (Co3O4, CoO):

  • Mineral-based or plant-derived pigments
    Trade-offs: Narrower color range. May fade faster than synthetic pigments.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

Is cobalt oxide (co3o4, coo) safe for you?

Low_to_moderate risk based on available hazard data.

What products contain cobalt oxide (co3o4, coo)?

Cobalt oxide (Co3O4, CoO) appears in: Mining site runoff (Contaminated water); Industrial discharge (Contaminated water); Fish from contaminated waters (Food chain); Crops in contaminated soil (Food chain).

See Cobalt oxide (Co3O4, CoO) in the food app

Look up products containing cobalt oxide (co3o4, coo), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in food View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard — DTXSID80892420 — epa
  2. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 1308-06-1 — 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 →