Experts warn against dangerous ‘Borax Train’ trend

A highly dangerous new trend is taking over the internet, and experts are urging people to not follow it.

The 'borax train' sees people consuming the cleaning product, with users erroneously claiming that it helps alleviate some health issues. Borax is a white powder often found in laundry detergents and used to get rid of stains and insects.

The trend has seen people delve into another chemical element, boron, which borax is a compound of.

Despite people reportedly citing the work of Rex Newnham, who allegedly advocated that boron (not borax) was an essential vitamin, the National Institution of Health says it is not "classified as an essential nutrient for humans because research has not yet identified a clear biological function for boron".

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

If consumed, it can cause "headache, hypothermia, restlessness, weariness, renal injury, dermatitis, alopecia, anorexia and indigestion. In infants, high boron intakes have caused anaemia, seizures, erythema, and thin hair".

Dr Kelly Johnson-Arbor, a medical toxicology doctor and co-director at the National Capital Poison Center reportedly told Yahoo In The Knowthat "borax is actually a poisonous compound and should never be eaten".

She explained that borax consumption has been recently popularised online "as a way to treat inflammation, but… there is no evidence that swallowing borax has any human health benefits."

One chemist on TikTok reiterated the dangers, telling followers it can cause much more damage.

"Don’t eat sh** out of the f***ing laundry box, people," @chem.thug told followers. "This is patently dangerous."

"Borax is actually really not good for you. According to the literature, it can cause kidney failure. It can cause reproductive harm. It also can cause developmental issues," he added.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.