Use of Borax in schools

[gotolady]

Hello you wonderful labbies,
I have just been asked if we can still use Borax and I can't recall if it is a yes or no chemical.
Hope you are all coping with this year.
Thanks in advance

[LabbieSeth]

According to RiskAssess, sodium tetraborate decahydrate (borax) is a teacher only chemical meaning teachers can handle the chemical whereas students are not allowed.

[Anna Z]

Our students still use it, with gloves

[gotolady]

Thanks for the quick reply. I thought it was teacher only use , just needed proof.

[RosalieL]

According to riskassess, it is 7-12 at <4.5% wt/wt and 11-12 for >4.5% solutions but teacher only as a powder. You can still make slime with 4% solution but you end up with liquid in addition to the slime and then you just gently rinse it off once the slime has formed.

[bigmack]

It apparently can effect unborn babies . Not a problem for males but girls could be unknowingly pregnant and that it the problem .Some schools use it in juniour school where it it highly unlikely there are any girls of child bearing age .
Female teachers should be made aware that although its a teacher only substance ,why .

[LabTechBrooke]

It is allowed in NSW public schools 7-12 under CSIS but in my experience, not many schools allow it.

[macca]

This is what Riskassess states. It's an ongoing problem here don't like it at all. So many alternative can be used

sodium tetraborate, anhydrous(borax)
Class:ncPG:noneUsers:Tch Training:1,2,5CAS: 1330-43-4
GHS data:
DANGER
Health hazard May damage fertility. May damage the unborn child
Potential hazards
MAY DAMAGE FERTILITY OR THE UNBORN CHILD.

Standard handling procedures
Should not be handled by pregnant women. Women of reproductive age should take special care handling the chemical.

Disposal
Retain for collection by a waste service. Do not place in the garbage. <100 g/day may be dissolved in 50 times the mass of water and poured down the drain.

sodium tetraborate <0.22 M (<4.5% wt/wt)(borax)
Class:ncPG:noneUsers:7-12 Training:1-6CAS: 1303-96-4
GHS data: Not classified as a hazardous chemical.
Potential hazards
Pure chemical may damage fertility or the unborn child. The hazardous effects of low concentrations are not known.

Standard handling procedures
SLIME WARNING: If small quantities of dilute borax solution are used to make "slime", take care that none of the "slime" is eaten by children and that hands are washed thoroughly after handling the material. Choose a "slime" recipe that uses the smallest amount and lowest concentration of borax. Borax is not volatile or absorbed through unbroken skin; ingestion (eating or hand-transfer to food) is the pathway of concern for entry to the body of a child.

Disposal
May be poured down the drain, to the limit of 100 g/day of dissolved salt. Larger quantities should be placed in a dedicated waste container.

[Marama T]

And yet you can buy it at Bunnings for household cleaning and laundering.

[Wayne]

And you can also buy slime made from sodium tetraborate from retail stores.

[LabTechBrooke]

And yet you can buy it at Bunnings for household cleaning and laundering.

You can also buy concentrated hydrochloric acid at Bunnings for cleaning, bleach at Coles...

[Marama T]

And I can't believe they sell pesticides and herbicides to untrained people. Don't get me started.

[bigmack]

Sooooo …..are we being too anal ….. or is the rest of the world too blasé

[Marama T]

Maybe a bit of both. I think we're over-cautious regarding borax, but I deplore the use of herbicides and pesticides by untrained people. The effect on biodiversity is overwhelming bad. I have my ChemCert card, and I think you should be unable to buy such toxins without one.

[Merilyn1]

Maybe a bit of both. I think we're over-cautious regarding borax, but I deplore the use of herbicides and pesticides by untrained people. The effect on biodiversity is overwhelming bad. I have my ChemCert card, and I think you should be unable to buy such toxins without one.

Interestingly, when they first introduced Chemcert a million years ago, the intention was that you would not be able to purchase hazardous pesticides without having done the training. That never took off, can you imagine the influence that Bunnings has and why it never happened? Only in recent times has Bunning stopped stocking pesticides that we wouldn't use in the nursery due to their persistent nature eg Rogor and Folimat. At least now they have toned things down a fair bit. However, walk into Bunnings (or any supermarket) and see how many products marked "Keep out of reach of children" are sitting at child height?

I'm not against the use of pesticides. I'm against the use of them being applied without consideration of alternatives. I'm against any Jo Blow being able to buy whatever they want with no understanding of pesticide labelling, SDSs or PPE.

[Labbie]

Well said Merilyn