What do the Clean, Low, Watch and Swap levels mean?

They are cut from a continuous concern level the app computes from the sourced claims that the chosen evidence lens shows: each claim counts its concern class, tier weight, confidence and dose relevance, combined worst-first with a decay so one serious finding outweighs many small ones, then scaled by how much of the substance reaches you in this use. Clean is below 0.35, Low below 1.1, Watch below 2.0 and Swap above that, on a 0 to 3 scale.

Is Cobalt safe in household dust?

Q: Is cobalt safe in household dust?

Under the app's default Cautious lens, cobalt in household dust rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. 3 sourced concerns count (suspected carcinogen, consensus tier; irritant · allergen, consensus tier; environmental, consensus tier). This is research with sources, not medical advice.

1 use researched3 sourced claims

Detox My Life researched cobalt under one use, because the same substance means something different in each use. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.

Level by use and lens

Use	Mainstream	Cautious (default)	Based	Concerns · favour · fringe
In the home (dust)	Swap	Swap	Swap	3 · 0

Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.

Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog has no entry tied to this ingredient yet. When you scan a product that contains it, the app suggests cleaner alternative types for that product; the swap categories list what the catalog covers today.

In the home (dust) Swap

Under the default Cautious lens cobalt in household dust rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Swap; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.

Sourced concerns (3)

ConsensusSuspected carcinogenconfidence 100%

Cobalt metal and soluble cobalt(II) salts are classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as Group 2A (probably carcinogenic to humans), and cobalt(II) oxide as Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans), with potential for household exposure through inhalation of dust from certain products or ingestion from leaching glazes.

Why here: Cobalt is used in pigments for paints, ceramics, and some powder-like toy materials. Inhalation of dust from these products (e.g., during airbrushing, from chalks) or ingestion from improperly fired ceramic glazes, especially with acidic foods, can lead to exposure. The EU's Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) has classified cobalt as a Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, and Reprotoxic (CMR) category 1B for toys, indicating regulatory concern for household exposure.
What would have to be true: Inhalation of cobalt-containing dust from products like paints or chalks, or ingestion of cobalt leached from ceramic glazes, particularly with acidic foods.

Sources the engine cites:

Cobalt | ToxFAQs™ | ATSDR - cdc.gov. (2026) · regulator or public body
IARC Monographs evaluation of the carcinogenicity of cobalt, antimony compounds, and weapons-grade tungsten alloy — who.int (2022) · regulator or public body
Evaluation of Occupational Exposure of Glazers of a Ceramic Industry to Cobalt Blue Dye — nih.gov (2011) · regulator or public body
IARC Monographs Volume 131: Cobalt, antimony compounds, and weapons-grade tungsten alloy — who.int (2023) · regulator or public body
2 web articles (aiha.org, jillrutter.com), linked in the app.

ConsensusIrritant · allergenconfidence 100%

Cobalt is a common skin sensitizer that can cause allergic contact dermatitis upon contact with household items.

Why here: Cobalt is present in various consumer products such as jewelry, metal household items (e.g., cutlery, zippers, keys), cosmetics (e.g., eye shadow, blushers), leather, clothing, paints, and ceramics, leading to direct skin contact during normal household activities.
What would have to be true: Direct skin contact with cobalt-containing household items, even at low concentrations (e.g., 10 ppm for sensitization).

Sources the engine cites:

Cobalt contact allergy - DermNet — dermnetnz.org (2026) · review
3 web articles (cottonique.com, cmsderm.ca, jacksonsart.com), linked in the app.
3 community or commercial pages, not counted here.

ConsensusEnvironmentalconfidence 100%

Cobalt and its soluble compounds are harmful to the environment, persistent in water, and can bioaccumulate in aquatic life, with household product disposal contributing to environmental release.

Why here: Household products containing cobalt (e.g., paints, ceramics, cleaning products) can release cobalt into wastewater or landfills through their use and disposal, contributing to environmental contamination.
What would have to be true: Release of cobalt into the environment through the disposal or washing of household products containing cobalt.

Sources the engine cites:

Cobalt and cobalt-containing substances – Information sheet - Canada.ca (2025) · regulator or public body
1 web article (earth.org), linked in the app.

Not researched here

The engine has no dossier for cobalt when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.

This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.

Scan your own. The app reads any product label with your camera, works out how you are about to use it, and researches every ingredient for that use with live sources. Every scan adds to a Detox Score for your home, where 50 is a typical home in your region, and a plan of next swaps.

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