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

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU> On Behalf Of Monona Rossol
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2018 7:04 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (18 articles)

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

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