Here we go again! What does "boron" mean? The element? That is what you would find safety data for if you searched the term mindlessly. If you searched "borane" by contrast you would find a gas that ignites spontaneously in air.... almost certainly
more toxic than boron!
How about "borax"? It contains boron and is available as a home product in many stores. But now the oxidation state is very different again: 0 for boron, -3 for borane, and +3 for borax.
Each will have its own toxicity profile, but they are clearly very different!
Even when applying an abundance of caution, I cannot imagine that it is right for the BBC to set off a panic amongst uninformed parents about the slime their kids have already handled, unless the claims of toxicity have been established for both the slime
precursor AND the slime itself. And these will again be different from one another at least physiologically.
I am reminded, living in Canada, of the situation with "designated substances." "Mercury" and "Arsenic" are the listed materials, "in all forms" (whatever that is supposed to mean: gas, liquid or solid element?) and yet the MEANING is the elements and
all compounds of mercury, or arsenic.
The responsible thing to do is to consult a chemist before making too wild claims in the press.
Paul
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety [DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU] on behalf of Monona Rossol [0000030664c37427-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU]
Sent: July 18, 2018 11:38 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (18 articles)
Danged if I know. When I get a moment, I'll see what the SDSs of some of the EC approved products say. They either contain lead B or a substitute.
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A., Industrial Hygienist
President: Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
Safety Officer: Local USA829, IATSE
181 Thompson St., #23
New York, NY 10012 212-777-0062
-----Original Message-----
From: TILAK CHANDRA <0000058f112ac338-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU>
To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Sent: Wed, Jul 18, 2018 9:48 am
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (18 articles)
Hi Monona:
Thank you for your comments on boron toxicity. Are there any alternatives of boron to produce the slime? Such alternatives may be more toxic than
boron similar to bisphenol A (BPA), until the products are fully tested.
Regards,
Tilak
Well, shame on C&EN. Their July 9 issue contained a correction of their previous article's assumption about how boron interacts with the polymer emulsions
to make slime products, but NEITHER article mentioned the toxicity of boron. Both Health Canada and the European Commission have limits on the amounts of boron that can be in consumer and children's products. Slime is not a product C&EN should be encouraging
people to make on their own or buy without limits on the boron content.
If you get the whole BBC article listed below, it contains the following information:
Excessive levels of boron can cause irritation, diarrhoea, vomiting and cramps.
High levels may also impair fertility or cause harm to an unborn child in pregnancy, according to the European Commission. [And Health Canada = MR comment]
Eight out of the 11 slime products tested contained boron levels which exceeded the European Union safety limit of 300mg/kg.
SLIME TOYS COULD HAVE 'POTENTIALLY UNSAFE LEVELS' OF BORON, SAYS WHICH?
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44852913
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, discovery, response, other_chemical
Some children's slime toys contain potentially unsafe levels of a chemical which can cause vomiting and impair fertility, according to Which?.
An investigation by the consumer group into 11 popular slime products found eight contained higher than recommended levels of a chemical called boron.
One product had more than four times the EU safety limit, the tests found.
Which? is advising parents to "approach slime with caution" and said retailers and the government must do more.
It also urged parents to be careful when choosing to make "homemade slime", adding that some ingredients used to make slime - such as some contact lens solutions - contain borax, which is made up of boron.
Slime became one of 2017's biggest crazes, with millions of people sharing pictures on Instagram and watching DIY slime-making videos on YouTube.
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A., Industrial Hygienist
President: Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
Safety Officer: Local USA829, IATSE
New York, NY 10012 212-777-0062
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