SECTION 1. IDENTIFICATION

Product Identifier: Thorium Metal

Chemical Name: Thorium

Isotope: Thorium-232 (Th-232)

CAS Number: 7440-29-1

Chemical Symbol: Th

Molecular Weight: 232.04 g/mol

Chemical Family: Metal / Actinide

Recommended Use: Research, analytical, and laboratory applications involving licensed radioactive material.

Restrictions on Use: For professional and laboratory use only. Use only by personnel trained and authorized to handle radioactive materials and hazardous chemicals.

Supplier:

International Bio-Analytical Industries, Inc.

3495 N. Dixie Highway, Unit 8

Boca Raton, FL 33431 USA

Telephone: (561) 826-0061

Emergency Telephone

INFOTRAC (24 Hours)

USA & Canada: 1-800-535-5053

International: 1-352-323-3500

SECTION 2. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

Physical Hazard

Pyrophoricity: Finely divided thorium may be pyrophoric. Massive thorium metal is not generally considered readily flammable.

Solid

Category 1, H250: Catches fire spontaneously if exposed to air.

GHS Pictograms

Signal Word: DANGER

Other Hazards

Radioactive Material. This product contains Thorium-232 and presents a radiological hazard. Ionizing radiation is regulated separately from OSHA chemical hazard classification requirements. Maintain radiation exposure As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA).

Precautionary Statements

Keep away from heat, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources where applicable. Do not breathe dust/fume. Wear appropriate protective gloves, clothing and eye/face protection. Store locked up. For pyrophoric forms, protect from air and store under appropriate inert conditions.

SECTION 3. COMPOSITION / INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS

Component	CAS Number	Formula	Concentration
Thorium	7440-29-1	Th	≥99%*

Isotopic composition: Thorium-232, unless otherwise specified by the product specification.

SECTION 4. FIRST-AID MEASURES

Description of First-Aid Measures

General Advice: Remove the affected person from further exposure. Seek medical attention following significant exposure. Show this SDS to the attending physician. If radioactive contamination or internal uptake is suspected, notify the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO).

Inhalation: Move to fresh air. Keep at rest. If breathing is difficult, administer oxygen by trained personnel. If not breathing, provide artificial respiration/CPR by trained personnel. Obtain medical attention. Notify the RSO if thorium-containing dust was inhaled.

Skin Contact: Remove contaminated clothing and shoes. Brush off loose particles where appropriate without generating airborne dust. Wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water for at least 15 minutes. Do not abrade the skin. Seek medical attention if irritation, burns, or significant contamination occurs.

Eye Contact: Flush immediately with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes. Hold eyelids open. Remove contact lenses if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing and obtain medical attention.

Ingestion: Rinse mouth with water if conscious. Do not induce vomiting unless directed by medical personnel. Obtain medical attention following significant ingestion. Notify the RSO if internal radioactive contamination is suspected.

Most Important Symptoms and Effects: Potential effects from dust include respiratory irritation, coughing, difficulty breathing, eye irritation, and gastrointestinal effects following ingestion. Internal radioactive exposure may result in delayed health effects, including increased cancer risk.

SECTION 5. FIREFIGHTING MEASURES

Suitable Extinguishing Media

Massive Thorium Metal: Use an extinguishing agent appropriate for the surrounding fire.

Use a dry extinguishing agent appropriate for combustible-metal fires, such as a suitable Class D agent.

Unsuitable Extinguishing Media

Avoid direct application of water, foam, or carbon dioxide unless specifically evaluated as appropriate for the particular form.

Specific Hazards

May be pyrophoric and may ignite spontaneously in air. Burning thorium may produce thorium oxides, radioactive particulate, and metal fumes.

Firefighter PPE: Positive-pressure SCBA and appropriate protective/radiological clothing. Avoid inhalation of smoke, fumes, and radioactive particulate. Manage contaminated firefighting materials according to radioactive-waste procedures.

SECTION 6. ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES

Personal Precautions: Restrict access; evacuate unnecessary personnel; avoid airborne dust; eliminate ignition sources if finely divided material is involved; wear appropriate PPE; contact the RSO.

Environmental Precautions: Prevent uncontrolled release into drains, sewers, surface water, or soil. Avoid dispersing radioactive material.

Small Spill: Avoid disturbing material. Do not dry sweep. Carefully collect using procedures approved by the Radiation Protection Program and suitable HEPA-filtered equipment where appropriate. Place recovered material in a labeled radioactive-waste container and survey the area.

Large Spill: Isolate the area, prevent unauthorized entry, contact the RSO and emergency personnel, and do not attempt cleanup without appropriate radiological controls.

Pyrophoric Material: If finely divided thorium has ignited, do not add water directly. Follow the facility’s pyrophoric-material emergency procedure.

SECTION 7. HANDLING AND STORAGE

Handling: Handle only by trained and authorized personnel. Avoid generating dust, inhalation, and skin/eye contact. Use local exhaust or containment. Wash hands after handling. Do not eat, drink, or smoke in work areas. Follow the Radiation Protection Program and ALARA principles.

Storage: Store in a designated radioactive-material area, tightly closed, cool, dry, protected from physical damage and incompatible materials, with access restricted to trained personnel.

For finely divided/pyrophoric material: Store under conditions appropriate to its pyrophoric classification and product specification.

Incompatible Materials: Strong oxidizing agents, halogens, strong acids, and materials known to react violently with thorium. Consider moisture/water compatibility for the particular physical form.

SECTION 8. EXPOSURE CONTROLS / PERSONAL PROTECTION

Engineering Controls: Local exhaust ventilation, process enclosure, glove box/enclosed system for finely divided material where appropriate, HEPA filtration where airborne radioactive particulate may be generated, and controlled radioactive-material work areas.

Eye/Face Protection: Chemical safety goggles; use face protection where flying-particle hazards exist.

Skin Protection: Protective laboratory clothing, appropriate chemically resistant gloves, and closed-toe footwear. Use disposable protective overgarments when required by contamination-control procedures.

Respiratory Protection: Based on workplace exposure assessment and a written respiratory-protection program. Use an appropriate NIOSH-approved particulate respirator where required. For unknown concentrations, uncontrolled releases, firefighting, oxygen-deficient or IDLH conditions, use positive-pressure SCBA.

Radiation Protection: Emphasize containment, prevention of airborne contamination, contamination monitoring, appropriate shielding where applicable, dosimetry where required, and ALARA.

Hygiene: Wash hands, remove contaminated clothing before leaving controlled areas, do not eat/drink/smoke in work areas, and survey personnel/equipment/surfaces as required.

SECTION 9. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Property	Information
Physical state	Solid
Appearance	Grayish-white to silvery metallic solid
Color	Grayish-white / silvery
Odor	Odorless
Odor threshold	No data available
Melting point	Approximately 1,755 °C
Boiling point	Approximately 4,787 °C
Flammability	Massive metal: not readily flammable; finely divided material may be pyrophoric
Lower/upper flammability limits	Not applicable
Flash point	Not applicable
Auto-ignition temperature	No reliable value established for all physical forms
Decomposition temperature	No data available
pH	Not applicable
Kinematic viscosity	Not applicable
Solubility in water	Insoluble
Partition coefficient	Not applicable
Vapor pressure	Negligible at ambient temperature
Density / relative density	Approximately 11.7 g/cm³
Relative vapor density	Not applicable
Evaporation rate	Not applicable
Particle characteristics	Product-form dependent; particle size affects airborne and pyrophoric hazards

SECTION 10. STABILITY AND REACTIVITY

Reactivity: Thorium is a reactive metal and may react with oxidizing agents, acids, halogens, and other incompatible materials. Finely divided thorium may react more readily and present increased ignition hazard.

Chemical Stability: Stable under recommended storage conditions when protected from incompatible materials and excessive heat.

Possibility of Hazardous Reactions: Hazardous reactions may occur with strong oxidizing agents, halogens, and certain acids. Finely divided thorium may ignite upon exposure to air.

Conditions to Avoid: Excessive heat, sparks, open flames, unnecessary exposure of finely divided material to air, dust generation, and incompatible chemicals.

Incompatible Materials: Strong oxidizing agents, halogens, strong acids, and materials known to react violently with thorium.

Hazardous Decomposition Products: Thorium oxides, radioactive particulate, metal fumes, and other combustion/reaction products.

SECTION 11. TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Information on Toxicological Effects

Likely Routes of Exposure: Inhalation of dust/particulate, ingestion, skin contact, and eye contact. Massive metal presents less inhalation risk than powder, filings, or finely divided material.

Inhalation: Inhalation of thorium-containing particulate can cause internal radioactive contamination and may increase long-term cancer risk.

Ingestion: May result in internal radioactive exposure; significant internal exposure can result in radiation dose and increased long-term cancer risk.

Skin Contact: Significant systemic absorption through intact skin is not established; avoid radioactive contamination.

Eye Contact: Metal particles or dust may cause mechanical irritation.

Skin Corrosion/Irritation: No compound-specific evidence establishing a GHS skin-corrosion classification.

Serious Eye Damage/Irritation: No compound-specific data sufficient to establish Category 1.

Respiratory/Skin Sensitization: No data available.

Germ Cell Mutagenicity: No compound-specific data available.

Carcinogenicity: Internal exposure to radioactive thorium can increase cancer risk depending on absorbed dose and distribution.

Reproductive Toxicity: No adequate compound-specific data available.

Single Exposure: No adequate compound-specific data available.

Repeated Exposure: No adequate compound-specific data available.

Radiological Health Information: Thorium-232 is an alpha-emitting radioactive isotope. The principal concern is internal contamination from inhalation, ingestion, or entry through a wound. Contact the RSO if internal contamination is suspected.

SECTION 12. ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Toxicity: Avoid uncontrolled release.

Persistence and Degradability: Thorium is an inorganic element and is not expected to undergo biodegradation.

Bioaccumulative Potential: No reliable compound-specific data available. Thorium entering the body can be retained in tissues, particularly bone, depending on chemical and physical form.

Mobility in Soil: No reliable compound-specific data available. Behavior may depend on particle size, soil composition, pH, chemical form, and environmental conditions.

PBT/vPvB Assessment: No assessment available / not applicable.

Other Adverse Effects: Prevent uncontrolled environmental release. Manage radioactive releases according to applicable requirements.

SECTION 13. DISPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS

Dispose of Thorium Metal and contaminated materials in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations. Because Thorium-232 is radioactive, disposal may be subject to NRC or Agreement State requirements.

Do not dispose through ordinary municipal waste, sanitary sewers, storm drains, surface waters, or uncontrolled land disposal.

Characterize and manage radioactive waste through the facility Radiation Protection Program.

Keep radioactive waste properly contained and labeled.

Prevent generation and dispersion of radioactive dust.

Transfer radioactive waste only through an authorized radioactive-waste management program or facility, as applicable.

Contaminated Packaging: Containers may retain radioactive contamination. Do not reuse or dispose of contaminated packaging as ordinary waste unless appropriately surveyed and released under applicable requirements.

SECTION 14. TRANSPORT INFORMATION

Transportation Classification: Determine on a shipment-by-shipment basis.

Item	Determination
UN Number	To be determined based on shipment characteristics
Proper Shipping Name	To be determined
Hazard Class	Class 7, when applicable
Packing Group	Not applicable to Class 7 radioactive material
Transport Index	To be determined, where applicable

Air: Comply with current IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations and applicable ICAO Technical Instructions.

Vessel: Comply with current IMDG Code.

Special Precautions: Only trained and authorized personnel should prepare radioactive-material shipments. Determine UN number, proper shipping name, package type, radioactive category, labeling, transport index, documentation, and applicable exceptions.

SECTION 15. REGULATORY INFORMATION

OSHA: This product is classified as hazardous under 29 CFR 1910.1200.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Thorium-232 is radioactive, and thorium is regulated as source material under the NRC framework. Applicable requirements may include 10 CFR Part 20 and 10 CFR Part 40. Possession, transfer, storage, use, and disposal must comply with the applicable license and regulatory requirements.

TSCA Users should verify TSCA applicability or exemptions for radioactive materials.

SARA 313 Users should determine reporting requirements based on annual inventory and applicable threshold quantities.

CERCLA Users should verify current reportable quantities applicable to uranium compounds.

RCRA Waste characterization shall be completed before disposal.

California Proposition 65 Users should verify current California Proposition 65 requirements.

NRC Possession, transfer, storage, use, and disposal of this product may require a radioactive materials license issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or an Agreement State regulatory agency.

State Regulations: Follow applicable state radioactive-material, hazardous-material, environmental, and right-to-know requirements.

SECTION 16. OTHER INFORMATION

Copyright © 2015 International Bio-Analytical Industries, Inc.
Permission is granted to make unlimited paper copies for internal use only.
International Bio-Analytical Industries, Inc. requires recipients of its materials to comply with 29 CFR 1910.1200(h), which mandates that employers provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals present in the workplace.
The information contained in this Safety Data Sheet is believed to be accurate as of the date of revision and is provided in good faith. However, this information is intended to serve as a guide only, and recipients are encouraged to exercise independent judgment regarding its accuracy, completeness, and suitability for their specific applications. International Bio-Analytical Industries, Inc., shall not be held liable for any direct or indirect damage resulting from the use of this information.
International Bio-Analytical Industries, Inc. makes no warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This information is provided without warranty, and any use of the product that does not conform to this Safety Data Sheet, or that is used in combination with any other product or process, is the sole responsibility of the user.
Revision Date: 08/12/2026