The “TikTok BORAX TRAIN trend” is alarming and dangerous, as it involves ingesting a cleaning product that lacks any proven health benefits. People are “hopping on the Borax Train” on TikTok, a risky trend that calls for ingesting a cleaning product. This is a result of false beliefs about its alleged advantages, which medical professionals have cautioned against.
The most recent trending challenge is being compared to a hazardous TikTok fad from 2018 that encouraged teens to swallow Tide Pods despite the dangers it presented to their health.
It’s quite concerning that users of TikTok are currently being oddly motivated to consume borax for all the wrong reasons. The National Institutes of Health do not classify boron as an essential nutrient for humans.
TikTok BORAX TRAIN trend is dangerous and alarming
Let’s explore the trend further by realizing that, contrary to what many TikTok users have been taught to think, ingesting the cleaning agent Borax does not show to have any health benefits for humans.
For many years, cleaning products have contained sodium tetraborate, a material that is a white dry powder. In addition to being used in laundry detergents, it also kills insects and removes stains or mold from around the house.
The trend’s genesis is unknown, although, in some videos, users of the TikTok app go into great detail on the chemical element boron, which borax is a product of. According to The New York Post, several sources refer to the work of researcher Rex Newnham, who examined how many diets in the 1990s were deficient in boron, which he considered to be an “essential mineral“.
However, because the chemical compound has no known health advantages, the National Institutes of Health have explicitly stated the health risk it can provide. Therefore, we strongly advise you to avoid getting on the TikTok BORAX TRAIN trend and to stop following the trend since it may be quite harmful.
@chem.thug @Chem Thug Pt. 2 – Please dont ingest borax out the detergent box. Whatever dubious purported health benefits there *might* be to consuming borax are quickly negated by consuming something that was not made for human consumption in a facility that likely was not required to report any potential contaminants. If you want more boron in your diet, there are tons of foods that you can eat that are good for you—please don’t recklessly poison yourself! . . . . . . . . #borax #boraxwater #scienceexplained #sciencefacts #chemistryteacher #chemistry #chemtok #themoreyouknow #boron #chem101 #scienceathome #fyp #foryou #chemistryishard #sciencetok
Why do humans consume borax?
Recently, some TikTok users have erroneously claimed that the chemical ingredient in the home product may alleviate inflammation, popularizing it despite the lack of supporting data.
Health experts have cautioned against using it and called attention to the negative consequences that ingesting borax may have.
Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, a medical toxicologist and co-director of the National Capital Poison Center, is quoted as saying: “Borax is actually a poisonous compound and should never be eaten.” There is no proof that ingesting borax has any positive effects on human health, she continued.
While this is going on, the NIH states that “Boron is not classified as an essential nutrient for humans because research has not yet clearly identified a biological function for boron.”
Borax poisoning can result in “headache, hypothermia, restlessness, weariness, renal injury, dermatitis, alopecia, anorexia, and indigestion” if it is still ingested against medical advice. High boron intakes in babies have been linked to a number of issues, including anemia, convulsions, erythema, and sparse hair.
Additionally, exceptionally high dosages of it are likewise regarded as lethal.
Do not consume the cleaning agent
As many are spotted consuming the cleaning product borax straight or adding it to their food, TikTok users are cautioning one another not to participate in the risky challenge that lacks research concerning the alleged advantages of the substance.
- “When I first heard about this, I practically gasped. People are crazy, one said.
- “Purely from seeing what it does when I use it on laundry,” said another. What a crazy leap to voluntarily consume that.
- “Just because something is supposedly non-toxic doesn’t mean we should eat it,” Why are people like this? a third user asked.
You can read more about TikTok trends:
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Featured image credit: Unsplash.
