Drinking Borax Can be Deadly. People Are Doing It on TikTok Anyway

Published

2 years ago

August 4, 2023

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Share on Pinterest A dangerous new trend is gaining popularity on TikTok. People are drinking borax cleaning powder, claiming it has benefits. But experts warn this can have serious effects on your health and even cause death. mokjc/ShutterstockTheres a new TikTok trend that has people drinking the cleaning agent borax.Promoters say it can help health conditions like joint pain and inflammation.Medical professionals, however, say this practice can be dangerous.While boron is a normal part of our diet, borax provides toxic amounts of this substance.Experts say to stop drinking borax and seek help right away if you show signs of toxicity.

Theres a new health trend on TikTok that medical professionals want people to stop following right away: drinking borax.

Borax is a white powder that also goes by the names of sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, and disodium tetraborate. It is used as a household cleaner and as a booster for laundry detergent.

People on the social media platform are adding a pinch of borax powder to water and drinking it daily then reporting back to TikTok with their results. Why are people drinking borax?

Why would someone think its a good idea to drink a chemical thats commonly reserved for getting stains out of your laundry?

Proponents of drinking borax believe that its actually good for health, providing benefits such as relieving arthritis pain, reducing inflammation, and balancing hormones.

Some even believe that there is a conspiracy to keep this knowledge away from the public so that people will buy prescription drugs instead.

Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, a medical toxicology physician and Executive Director at National Capital Poison Center, said that people believe the perceived benefits are due to its boron content.

However, Johnson-Arbor said, There is no defined recommended boron intake for humans and most of us get boron from eating fruits and vegetables in our normal diet.

There are also boron supplements marketed for bone and joint health, she said, but there are few human studies backing their use.

In other words: Theres no evidence that we need more boron. In fact, it could be harmful if we get more boron than what is generally obtained through food. Why drinking borax is dangerous

Johnson-Arbor further explained that boron binds with other elements to form compounds like boric acid (commonly used as a pesticide) or borax.

Household formulations of borax are not intended for human consumption, and toxicity can occur after consumption of borax or boric acid due to the boron contained in these formulations, she said.

Its toxicity really comes down to the amount of boron thats present and the form its in. Too much boron, like what people are consuming when they drink borax, is harmful and can even lead to death.

Dr. Zeeshan Afzal, Medical Officer at Welzo, said that drinking borax can lead to symptoms such as: nauseavomitingdiarrheadehydrationelectrolyte imbalances

If breathed in, it can also irritate the respiratory tract, he said, causing problems with breathing.

If you consume too much borax, it can further cause damage to organs like your kidneys and liver.

Additionally, it could cause symptoms like confusion, seizures, and coma, he noted.

There are also long-term health issues that people can experience when consuming large amounts of borax, Afzal added.

It is essential to understand that ingesting borax, even in small amounts, is not safe and should never be attempted, concluded Afzal. This challenge poses a significant risk to the health and well-being of those involved. What to do if someone drinks borax

Johnson-Arbor said, If someone eats or drinks borax or suspects that a loved one is doing this, contact Poison Control immediately for expert advice.

She explained that there are two ways to contact Poison Control: They can be reached online at www.poison.org or by phone at 1-800-222-1222.

Johnson-Arbor further noted that both options are free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.

Afzel additionally advises sharing educational information with the person and encouraging them to stop.

However, if they are showing any signs of borax poisoning like nausea, vomiting, or breathing difficulties Afzel said it is urgent that you call 911 or go to the nearest hospital right away.

Additional steps that Afzel suggests for dealing with misinformation about borax include:Sharing information about the dangers to raise awareness about the risks.Reporting harmful content like the borax challenge to the social media platforms where they are found.Promoting educational content on these platforms that emphasizes health and safety.

In response to the TikTok trend of drinking borax, borax manufacturer 20 Mule Team Borax has issued a statement on its Facebook account cautioning that people should refrain from drinking its product.

They also advise against using borax on your skin as a detox bath, which is another popular TikTok trend. According to Johnson-Arbor, even when borax is diluted in water, it still has the power to cause rashes, skin irritation, and peeling.The bottom line

Although drinking borax is a popular TikTok trend with people on the platform claiming that it can provide health benefits like relief from pain and inflammation, the experts say there is no proof that it can help and the practice is actually dangerous.

If you are drinking borax, you should immediately stop.

You should also obtain professional help immediately if you are experiencing any signs of toxicity like nausea, vomiting, or breathing problems.

Politics

Starmer ran the gauntlet with Trump but just about emerged intact

Published

52 mins ago

July 28, 2025

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Starmer ran the gauntlet with Trump but just about emerged intact

When TV cameras are let in to film world leaders meeting in person, the resulting footage is usually incredibly boring for journalists and incredibly safe for politicians.

Not with Donald Trump.

Sir Keir Starmer ran the gauntlet on Monday.

Trump latest: President treats PM to a ride on Air Force One

Put through a total of almost 90 minutes of televised questioning alongside the American leader, it was his diciest encounter with the president yet.

But he still just about emerged intact.

For a start, he can claim substantive policy wins after Trump announced extra pressure on Vladimir Putin to negotiate a ceasefire and dialled up the concern over the devastating scenes coming from Gaza.

There were awkward moments aplenty though.

Top of the list is Mr Trump’s trashing of the prime minister’s Labour colleague, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.

But more important than that, Monday’s meeting was the clearest representation of the political gulf that separates the two leaders.

“He’s slightly more liberal than me,” Mr Trump said of Sir Keir when he arrived in Scotland.

What an understatement.

On green energy, immigration, taxation and online regulation, the differences were clear to see.

Sir Keir just about managed to paper over the cracks by chuckling at times, choosing his interventions carefully and always attempting to sound eminently reasonable.

At times, it had the energy of a man being forced to grin and bear inappropriate comments from his in-laws at an important family dinner.

But hey, it stopped a full Trump implosion – so I suppose that’s a win.

My main takeaway from this Scotland visit though is not so much the political gulf present between the two men, but the gulf in power.

Sir Keir flew the length of the country he leads to be the guest at the visiting president’s resort.

He was then forced to sit through more than an hour of uncontrolled, freewheeling questioning from a man most of his party and voters despise, during which he was offered unsolicited advice on how to beat Nigel Farage and criticised (albeit indirectly) on key planks of his government’s policy platform.

In return he got warm words about him (and his wife) and relatively incremental announcements on two foreign policy priorities.

So why does he do it?

Because, to borrow a quote from a popular American political TV series: “Air Force One is a big plane and it makes a hell of a noise when it lands on your head.”

World

Israeli human rights organisations accuse country of genocide

Published

52 mins ago

July 28, 2025

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Israeli human rights organisations accuse country of genocide

Two Israeli human rights organisations have said the country is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

In reports published on Monday, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said Israel was carrying out “coordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip”.

The two groups are the first major voices within Israeli society to make such accusations against the state during nearly 22 months of war against Hamas.

Israel has vehemently denied claims of genocide. David Mencer, a spokesperson for the government, called the allegation by the rights groups “baseless”.

He said: “There is no intent, (which is) key for the charge of genocide… it simply doesn’t make sense for a country to send in 1.9 million tonnes of aid, most of that being food, if there is an intent of genocide.”

B’Tselem director Yuli Novak called for urgent action, saying: “What we see is a clear, intentional attack on civilians in order to destroy a group.”

The organisation’s report “is one we never imagined we would have to write,” Ms Novak said. “The people of Gaza have been displaced, bombed, and starved, left completely stripped of their humanity and rights.”

PHR said Israel’s military campaign shows evidence of a “deliberate and systemic dismantling of Gaza’s health and life-sustaining systems”.

Both organisations said Israel’s Western allies were enabling the genocidal campaign, and shared responsibility for suffering in Gaza.

“It couldn’t happen without the support of the Western world,” Ms Novak said. “Any leader that is not doing whatever they can to stop it is part of this horror.”

Hamas said the reports by the two groups were a “clear and unambiguous testimony from within Israeli society itself regarding the grave crimes perpetrated by the occupation regime against our people”.

Dire humanitarian conditions

Since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following the deadly Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, nearly 60,000 people – mostly civilians – have been killed, according to Gaza health officials.

Much of the infrastructure has been destroyed, and nearly the whole population of more than two million has been displaced.

An increasing number of people in Gaza are also dying from starvation and malnutrition, according to Gaza health authorities.

On Monday, the Gaza health ministry reported that at least 14 people had died from starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of hunger-related deaths during the war to 147.

Among the victims were 88 children, with most of the deaths occurring in recent weeks.

UN agencies say the territory is running out of food for its people and accuse Israel of not allowing enough aid deliveries to the enclave. Israel denies those claims.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said “there is no starvation in Gaza” and vowed to fight on against Hamas.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that many in Gaza are facing starvation and implied that Israel could take further steps to improve humanitarian access.

Israel has repeatedly said its actions in Gaza are in self-defence, placing full responsibility for civilian casualties on Hamas. It cites the militant group’s refusal to release hostages, surrender, or stop operating within civilian areas – allegations that Hamas denies.

UK

Two killed in stabbing at business premises in London

Published

52 mins ago

July 28, 2025

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Two killed in stabbing at business premises in London

Two men have died after a stabbing in central London.

Police were called to a business premises in Long Lane, Southwark, at 1pm on Monday, where they found four people had been stabbed.

A 58-year-old man died at the scene while three others were taken to hospital, the Metropolitan Police said. These included a 27-year-old man who has since died.

A third man, who is in his thirties, remains in hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.

Another man in his thirties, who has been detained in connection with the incident, remains in a life-threatening condition in hospital.

Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond said: “Our investigation is in the early stages and we are working hard to understand the full circumstances of this shocking incident.

“At this point, we do not believe it to be terrorism-related and there is no further risk to the public.”