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> (its not toxic to humans, or comparable to salt anyway) This is FALSE, and very dangerous advice for people with infants. Quote from NSW Food Authority [1]:
by ra 15y ago
> (its not toxic to humans, or comparable to salt anyway)
This is FALSE, and very dangerous advice for people with infants.
Quote from NSW Food Authority [1]:
"Borax, also known as sodium borate (Na2B4O7.10H2), and boric acid (H3BO3) are colourless, salt-like substance that can also be a white powder."
"What are the symptoms of Borax poisoning?
Some of the symptoms of Borax ingestion include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and red eyes.
Symptoms may appear 2 to 4 hours after ingesting Borax.
If you have ingested Borax, or come into contact with someone with these symptoms, you should call the NSW Poisons Information 24 hour hot line on 13 11 26 and seek immediate medial attention at your local doctor’s surgery or hospital.
If large amounts of Borax are consumed, acute kidney failure and death may result."
Not to say it isn't good at killing roaches, but please don't use it believing it's non-toxic.
[1] http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/consumers/other-food-topics/borax-and-boric-acid/ http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/consumers/other-food-top...
- boyter 15y agoThat site doesn't list how much you need to consume to have any affects hence my statement that its comparable to salt, IE if you eat a lot of salt you will be in a bad way too. That was my previous understanding though. If you have any sources to show what sort of consumption you need to have any sort of toxic effect I would be very interested. Something people reading this may not know is that Chinese restaurants did use it for a long time as a meat tenderiser and still do in China and presumably in other parts of the world too.
- kens 15y agoI read an interesting article a few days ago about how borax was used in the US as a meat preservative up through the early 20th century, along with more toxic substances like copper sulfate and formaldehyde. In those days there were no food safety regulations, so manufacturers used whatever they wanted. Suspicious of the safety of these additives, a chemist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture formed volunteer "Poison Squads" to test if these substances were actually safe or not. The article discusses his work, and is worth a look. "Death in the Pot": http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/essays/death-in-the-pot.php?page=all http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/essays/death-in-the-pot.php?...
- kragen 15y agoBoric acid is reasonably toxic. Borax is "nontoxic", which is to say, the lethal dose for borax is similar to the lethal dose for salt or baking soda — about half a pound for any of the three, in my case. Alle Ding' sind Gift, und nichts ohn' Gift; allein die Dosis macht, daß ein Ding kein Gift ist. There are other pesticides that are less dangerous to babies.