Uses of Cobalt Sulphate

The industrial uses of cobalt sulfate range from coating and processing metal to adding color to ceramics.The red crystalline powder was also found in human food and drugs at some point, but concerns about the health risks of the mineral led to the banning of the use of cobalt sulfate for nonindustrial and nonveterinary purposes.

The industrial uses of cobalt sulfate

Addition of cobalt sulfate in nickel plating baths makes metals treated better, stronger, more ductile and smoother. The mineral also occurs in shades of red pottery and porcelain glazes and helps to dry and fix the inks on lithographs.

Food and Drug Uses

Brewers when used cobalt sulfate to prolong the life of beer foam, and ranchers were dosed cattle with cobalt sulfate or fertilizer enriched with cobalt sulphate to ensure that their animals get enough oligo-elements needed to produce vitamin B12. Moreover, until recently, cobalt sulfate has a therapeutic role in treating certain forms of anemia.

Health Risks

Look at long-term or repeated exposure to skin and to cobalt sulfate may cause irritation, rash and redness that will fade as the end of such exposures. Inhalation of dust from cobalt sulfate over a prolonged period, which is possible in manufacturing environments where the mineral powder is used, can lead to poisoning and may cause cancer. Eleventh Report on Carcinogens from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences identifies cobalt sulfate as probable human carcinogen, but notes that the role of the mineral in cancer is difficult to define because most people who working with cobalt sulfate also work with other heavy metals and cancer causing chemicals.

Cobalt Sulfate Poisoning

Acute poison --- cobalt sulfate inhalation of dust too fast can cause --- cough, nausea, shortness of breath and vomiting, but is not life threatening. Poisoning that results from chronic inhalation of cobalt sulfate causes irreversible blood thickening, enlarged heart (cardiomyopathy), pain and tingling (neuropathy), and thyroid dysfunction.
Regulations

Federal Clean Air Act regulations list cobalt sulfate as a hazardous air pollutant, and companies must report spills and releases of cobalt compounds for federal agencies and local emergency response. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of cobalt sulfate in beverages, foods and medicines for humans.