What is sodium borate?
Sodium borate is a toxic white, powdery mineral used in cleaning, laundry, personal care products and even children’s toys as a buffering pH adjuster [1][3][5].What products is sodium borate in?
Borax is found as an ingredient in all-purpose cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, laundry detergent (including some labeled as “natural”), laundry stain removers, air fresheners, dish detergents, glass cleaners, diaper creams, pesticides (to kill ants) and herbicides as well as and some “slimy”, pliable toys like playdough, gak, or silly putty[3][5].How to tell if a product has sodium borate
Sodium borate goes by many names on ingredient labels including: sodium borate, borax; boric acid, disodium salt; borax granular; disodium salt boric acid; sodium tetraborate; antipyonin; puffed borax; borascu; borates, tetra, sodium salt, decahydrate (acgih); borates, tetra, sodium salts (decahydrate) [1], sodium borate decahydrate; sodium tetraborate decahydrate; disodium tetraborate decahydrate [5].Risks associated with sodium borate
Though sodium borate (aka borax) is often positioned as a “green” ingredient, in fact, it is toxic and can cause numerous health issues including:- Organ system toxicity [1]
- Fertility damage [2]
- Damage to an unborn child [2]
- Endocrine and hormone disruption [5]
- Skin allergy [5]
- Eye irritation [5]
- Damage to male reproductive system [3]
- Respiratory irritation [2] [5]