Sodium borate poisoning

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Sodium borate poisoning

Alternative Names:

Borax poisoning; Boric acid poisoning; Borate poisoning

Home Treatment:

If the chemical is on the skin, remove by washing the area thoroughly.

If the chemical was swallowed, seek medical treatment immediately.

Before Calling Emergency:

Determine the following information:

The patient's age, weight, and condition
The name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known)
The time it was swallowed
The amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number:

If you suspect possible poisoning, seek emergency medical care immediately.

Call 1-800-222-1222 from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Take any containers with you to the emergency room, if possible.

What to expect at the emergency room:

Treatment depends on the individual symptoms. Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

Gastric lavage (stomach pumping).
Dialysis
Liquids by mouth or IV
Transfusion (rare)

Note: Activated charcoal does not effectively treat (absorb) boric acid.

Expectations (prognosis):

For infants, the death rate from boric acid poisonings is high.

References:

Ford MD. Clinical Toxicology. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2001:750.

Cain WS. Sensory and associated reactions to mineral dusts: sodium borate, calcium oxide, and calcium sulfate. J Occup Environ Hyg. April 2004; 1(4): 222-36.

Matsuda K Toxicological analyses over the past five years at a single institution. Rinsho Byori.Oct. 2004; 52(10): 819-23.

Review Date: 9/21/2005
Reviewed By: A.D.A.M. editorial and William D. Whetstone, M.D., Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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