Subject: Re: Boric acid toxicity (was: L.L. $ B. Co...)

From: [email-masked] (jeramo)
Date: Sat, 08 Jun 1996 09:14:57 -0700

>> Check your visine bottle, boric is an ingredient, you'll have to
>> prove toxicity to me.

I decided to try boric acid/a. borax mix.  Went down to the pharmacy.  The
pharmacist said the health risk was mostly from ingestion and that he
doubted that inhalation was a real problem.  I think I'll be careful about
inhalation anyway.

Ray Coon
Damascus, OR

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 09 Jun 1996 09:40:45 -0700

I too was told the hazard of borax as flux was due to inhalation, much 
like the hazard of asbestos.  Also, I think Boric Acid, and Borax are 
different animals.  Borax is mined, as a mineral, but I don't know for 
sure.  We usually flux with borax first, then with ez weld or crescent.  
The molten borax helps keep the heavier duty stuff attached to the iron, 
where it belongs, we also found out you can use much less ez weld or 
crescent and get fine results.  I use borax close to the chimney opening 
so the draft will suck the fine floating particles up and out of my shop.

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From: Tom Vincent <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 1996 22:59:08 -0500 (CDT)

Yes, Borax and Boric Acid are two fifferent animals. Actually, in High 
Alloy number 17 the ingredients are borax, boric acid, sodium chloride 
(salt!) and sodium carbonate (not to be confused with baking soda). 
Actually, I got my idea that boric acid might be a little toxic from the 
Merck Index (not to be confused with the Merck manual) where, apart from 
describing such things as circulatory collapse, tachycardia, cyanosis, 
delirium, convulsions and coma. Death in infants at less than 5g and so 
on, it also mentios that it is used in hardening steel. Tom