Okay look this is something I've seen a lot of on Instagram so I'm probably going to screenshot this post and post it there too, but I feel like this is necessary.
Borax is not dangerous. Not in laundry, and not as slime activator.
It is a MILD skin irritant and only dangerous if INGESTED. Thus why it should be kept away from young children and pregnant women.
"But people have been burned!" Borax should not be burning you unless you are allergic, even if it is in the unaltered powdered form! Borax is sodium tetraborate, a mineral mined from the earth, not boric acid! That is where a majority of confusion comes from. Borax is an alkaline structure, whereas boric acid is, as the name implies, an acid.
There is a type of allergic reaction called "contact dermatitis," which is a red, inflamed, and sometimes burn-like reaction to allergens. I'm not a doctor, so take my word with a grain of salt, but if you are being burned by borax, that is likely what is happening and you should stay away from it. That is not normal.
Borax is used not only for laundry, but as a dishwashing soap booster, all-purpose cleaner, as well as many other household purposes. It's extremely common to come into contact with it.
Borax is listed as a health hazard of 1 on the material safety data sheet- Which is the same as SALT, y'all.
Yes, borax is banned in some countries, but this is not because touching it is dangerous. This is because of a possibility of harmful effects on reproductive health. However, studies are greatly focused on boric acid and boron in general, not just borax. Even then, "These human exposures represent worst-case exposure conditions to boric acid/borates in Turkey. These exposure levels are considerably lower than exposures, which have previously led to reproductive effects in experimental animals. In conclusion, this means that dose levels of boron associated with developmental and reproductive toxic effects in animals are by far not reachable for humans under conditions of normal handling and use." Additionally, as mentioned before, injestion is harmful. Most studies on the amount of danger related to borax are performed based on ingestion, rather than touch.
This is the case in studies related to borax causing seizures, as well. Seizures in children are caused by ingestion, rather than touch.
Additionally, borax is poorly absorbed through skin, and is not a known carcinogen.
All in all, borax is not boric acid, and articles like this are made by extremely misinformed people who have not put genuine research into the dangers of borax. Those dangers are only in ingestion or a lot of inhalation. Slime is perfectly safe.
