Food & Drink / Compounds / Copper naphthenate

Copper naphthenate in food: ingestion safety

Extreme risk

GHS Danger classification. Fatal if swallowed. Oral LD50 1430 mg/kg (rat).

What is copper naphthenate?

The IUPAC name is 2,4-dichloro-6-(3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)sulfanylphenol.

Also known as: 2,4-dichloro-6-(3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)sulfanylphenol, bithionol, Bithin, Lorothidol.

IUPAC name
2,4-dichloro-6-(3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)sulfanylphenol
CAS number
97-18-7
Molecular formula
C12H6Cl4O2S
Molecular weight
356.0 g/mol
SMILES
OC1=C(Cl)C=C(Cl)C=C1SC1=C(O)C(Cl)=CC(Cl)=C1
PubChem CID
2406

Risk for people

Extreme risk

GHS Danger classification. Fatal if swallowed. Oral LD50 1430 mg/kg (rat).

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Copper naphthenate. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 0 positive / 1 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 0 positive / 1 negative reports)

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 copper naphthenate

  • 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 Copper naphthenate:

  • Exposure reduction (no chemical substitute)
    Trade-offs: Exposure reduction does not eliminate the hazard but lowers risk to acceptable levels when alternatives are not available or practical. Requires ongoing monitoring and compliance.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is copper naphthenate safe for you?

GHS Danger classification. Fatal if swallowed. Oral LD50 1430 mg/kg (rat).

What products contain copper naphthenate?

Copper naphthenate appears in: Mining site runoff (Contaminated water); Industrial discharge (Contaminated water); Fish from contaminated waters (Food chain); Crops in contaminated soil (Food chain).

See Copper naphthenate in the food app

Look up products containing copper naphthenate, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in food View raw API data

Sources (3)
  1. PubChem Compound CID 2406 — database
  2. EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard — DTXSID9021342 — epa
  3. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 97-18-7 — 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 →