A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1-9
Copper Oxide - Red
Table of contents
Key Data
Formula: Cu2O
CAS: 1317-39-1
Other names: Copper (I) oxide, cuprous oxide, cuprite
Appearance: Brownish red powder
Solubility: Insoluble in water, but soluble in acids
Melting Point: 1232°C
Composition/Impurities
Uses
A pigment in glazes.
Exposure Routes
Skin and Eye Exposure
Copper oxide can act as an eye irritant.
Some people have an allergic reaction to copper metal, causing itching. There's no data on if this occurs with copper oxide.
Skin Absorption
Not absorbed if dry or in water.
Inhalation
Copper dust is a respiratory irritant, causing coughing, sneezing and a runny nose at low levels, and long term, very high levels leading to pulmonary fibrosis and increased vascularity of the nasal mucosa. However there is no data on whether this applies to copper oxide.
There is very little data on copper absorption throught the lungs, but it looks as though absorption rates are very low.
Ingestion
Up to 60% of ingested copper can be absorbed into the body, but the greater the concentration of copper in the gut, the lower the absorption rate. This tends to make the rate of absorption self-limiting.
As red copper oxide is soluble in acids, the rate of absorption is likely to be higher than insoluble forms.
Toxicity
Excess copper can attack the liver and kidney, and may also have an adverse effect on the immune system.
Acute
Skin
No effect.
Inhalation
Ingestion
The minimum risk level (MRL) for ingestion of copper is 0.01mg/kg bw/day, so for red copper oxide is 0.0225mg/kg bw/day, i.e. 1.35mg/day for a 60kg person.
Ingestion of a single dose of about 0.04 mg/kg bw (0.017-0.018 mg Cu/kg bw) (2.3mg for a 60kg person) can result in nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. This is transient, and doesn't cause any long term problems.
Ingestion of large quantities can be toxic. but the level for this is far greater than the potter will encounter.
Repeat Dose
There are three rare diseases that result in excessive concentrations of copper in the liver, and resultant severe liver damage: Wilson’s disease, Indian childhood cirrhosis, and idiopathic copper toxicosis.
Skin
Inhalation
Prolonged inhalation of copper or copper sulfate irritates the respiratory tract, though there is no evidence to show whether or not this is also the case for copper oxide.
Ingestion
Genotoxicity
No known effects. Animals tests on some other copper compounds have shown some genotoxicity, but these have not been found in humans.
Carcinogenicity
Not a carcinogen.
Reproductive Toxicity
No known effects.
Health and Safety Practice
Disposal
Regulatory Requirements
Dust Limits
| Organisation | Limit mg/m3 as Cu | Notes |
| ACGIH | 0.2 | For fumes. 8 hour TWA |
| ACGIH | 1 | For dusts and mists. 8 hour TWA |
| NIOSH REL | 0.1 | For fumes. 10 hour TWA |
| NIOSH REL | 1 | For dusts and mists. 10 hour TWA |
| OSHA PEL | 0.1 | For fumes. 8 hour TWA |
| OSHA PEL | 1 | For dusts and mists. 8 hour TWA |
| PAC-1 | 0.68 | Notable discomfort level |
| PAC-2 | 16 | Long lasting or irreversible serious adverse health effects |
| PAC-3 | 93 | Life threatening effects or death |
| UK HSE | 1 | For dusts and mists. 8 hour TWA |
| UK HSE | 2 | For dusts and mists. 15 min TWA |
| UK HSE | 0.2 | Copper fume (as Cu). 8 hour TWA |
Licence
Tim Thornton Ceramics Technical by Tim Thornton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://tim-thornton.com/tikiwiki/tiki-index.php?page=Licence.
If you re-use any material from this web site, you must include an attribution statement as described in the licence, and state if the work has been altered.
You may release work that modifies or builds upon this work only under the same licence (or a compatable one, as defined in the licence).
This licence does not permit you to use this work for commercial purposes, i.e. for commercial advantage or monetary gain. If you wish to use the work in this way, please contact us to discuss it. You will need our prior permission and approval to do this.
Whilst we aim to ensure that all material is accurate at the time of publication, we do not accept responsibility for decisions based on information we make available. No content of this site may be taken to be legal or medical advice.
Please bear in mind that materials on the website are the most up to date versions, but items you have downloaded in the past may not be. The materials are updated from time to time. We recommend that you use the latest versions by referring to those published on our website.
Exclusions
Images – Images are not available for re use under the OGL because in most cases copyright is held by a third party. The Council does not grant anyone any rights to re use images.
Use of logos – The use of Tim Thornton’s logos on any document or in association with any information, signifies that the document or information has been prepared or approved by him. The logos are to be used only when reproducing materials unaltered from the web site, to show their original source. If you wish to use the logo in any other way, please contact us first to obtain permission.
Third party intellectual property/copyright – We do not have the legal authority to grant permission to re use documents where legal rights are owned by third parties.
Applications for re-use
If you wish to make a specific application to re use information which does not conform with the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence terms, please contact us to ask permission and for details of what, if any, additional conditions and/or charges may apply. Your application should be in writing, specifying your name and address and, identifying the information source you want to re-use and the purpose for re-use.
Disclaimer
Whilst every care has been taken in the compilation of this website, and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. We will not be held responsible for any loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any inaccuracy or error within these pages.
Links from our site may lead to pages maintained by other organisations. These are provided purely for your convenience, and do not imply that we endorse or support those organisations, the information on their pages, or their products or services in any way. Additionally, no responsibility is assumed by us for the contents of its pages.