Silica

CAS Number: 7631-86-9

SERIOUS
health hazard

MODERATE
health hazard

FEW OR NO
health hazards

0 79

80 89

90 100

Sources of exposure:

Personal care

Food

Medications

Description:

Silica (silicon dioxide) is a naturally occurring mineral. It is used in cosmetics and personal care products to absorb oil, improve feel, and thicken formulations, and it is also used as an anti-caking agent and filler in foods and medications. Amorphous silica is generally considered lower concern, but crystalline silica dust is hazardous when inhaled.

Health concerns:

Cancer

Known or suspected to increase cancer risk in humans.

Organ System Toxicity

May cause organ damage and disease.

Respiratory Toxicity & Asthmagens

May damage the lungs or trigger asthma.

Irritant

May cause skin, eye, or respiratory irritation.

References

HOW MILLION MARKER SCORES CHEMICALS

Million Marker's Ingredient Hazard Scoring uses multiple chemical databases and a science-backed scoring system to compute hazard scores for thousands of chemicals found in consumer products and listed on ingredient labels.

We identified key chemicals based on a database compiling dozens of authoritative sources, screening tools, and QSAR models.

Hazard scores within 11 different health categories (carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, reproductive toxicants, developmental toxicants, genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, organ system toxicity, immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, skin/eye/respiratory irritants, and ecotoxicity).

They are weighted based on several factors, including strength of evidence for adverse impacts in humans, severity, and potential contamination.