Boric acid: Uses - dangers

Boric acid

Boric acid is a chemical compound consisting of a mixture of water and boron acid (one of the basic chemical elements), and it is an inorganic powder consisting of white metallic salts of low toxicity, and it consists mainly of crystalline boron molecules - that is, chemically arranged At the atomic level - combined with some gaseous elements, and it is commonly used to control insects and household pests in many parts of the world, and is also found naturally in hot springs and volcanic waters.

 Boron is a chemical element extracted from sediments that are buried in the ground, and it is used in the manufacture of many cleaning products, such as washing powders and toothpastes, and it is very popular in its presence in insect-killing compounds in markets and shops, where it is sold in the form of any ready-made powder. Other chemicals, and when using it, it does not need to put another substance with it or use it in any special ways, which makes it a good option for unexperienced consumers.

What is boric acid?

Boric acid products are often dedicated to the extermination of insects or parasites, and boric acid is a natural chemical compound consisting of a mixture of boron combined with oxygen, hydrogen and sodium paper, and boric salts cannot evaporate or emit any smell in the air. , which do not constitute health concerns for humans under normal conditions; The toxins in it are very low for humans as well as pets (such as cats, dogs and rodents), as they will not cause any negative effects unless severely abused, like all types of pesticides, it is better to be careful and follow the instructions when using boric acid. Although this compound is almost harmless to most animals, it is able to kill many types of insects very quickly, and is very effective over a long period of time.

Uses for controlling insects and pests

Boric acid is a product registered in 1983, and it is manufactured and sold in order to control cockroaches, ants, weevils, many beetles, and all crawling insects (that is, walking on the ground), where it is sprayed in facilities and indoor places, such as rooms of homes or The corridors of commercial buildings, as well as hospitals to purify and protect them from pests, and sometimes also in external places such as streets and sewers of sewage networks. In addition, boric acid is used to eliminate the fungi and spores responsible for the appearance of mold, as well as on weeds that appear in gardens and plant beds.

There are more than five hundred commercially registered boric acid products in the United States alone, and not all of them are specifically designed to kill insects; Some of them serve as fertilizer for plants, or are included in the installation of household cleaners.

Domestic insects, such as cockroaches and others, meet boric acid powder when you walk on the floor in the corners of rooms or under furniture, where it is supposed to be scattered. Insects die from boric acid when they eat or swallow its small granules, and then the acid causes digestive disorders in the insect and leads to imbalances in its nervous system. In addition, when the skin of an insect or its outer shell rubs with boric granules, it sticks to it, causing infections and harm, as well as it penetrates from its skin into its bodies, and all types of cockroaches are exposed to death due to boric acid. This substance can also eliminate plants; Either because of drying them and withdrawing fluids from them, or because they stop the plant's ability to absorb sunlight and build its food.

Uses in the treatment of diseases in humans

Boric acid has been used in the past to treat human skin injuries, as it can act as an antifungal and antibacterial substance, so that it can be used in the treatment of diseases and infections of many types, and this type of use was popular in many hospitals and medical clinics, but the outbreak of cases of infection The dangerous boric acid, which sometimes led to death for children and adults, caused the use of boric compounds to stop in most medical facilities, and now the use of this substance in humans is limited to the manufacture of some household cleaning products.

Among the therapeutic functions in which boric acid was previously used was the treatment of fungal infections and vaginal yeast infections, and it can also be used to treat yeast infections from the pubic area for males. Boric is usually used to treat acne because of its excellent antibacterial properties, and some medicinal preparations were made from a solution of boric acid to serve as ear drops to expel fungi and bacteria from swimmers' ears, or as well as to treat ear infections in pets.

Boric acid dangers

When boric acid is abused, its negative effects may be very bad, and it may lead to acute or chronic cases of poisoning, and this often occurs when a person swallows an amount of boric insect control products. Boric acid was also used in the past as a tool for treating and disinfecting wounds, but long-term dependence on it for this purpose may lead to chronic toxicity in humans, and there are documented cases of deaths resulting from continuous treatment with this substance.

Symptoms of boric poisoning include pustules on the skin, fainting, coma, convulsions, dizziness, fever, low blood pressure, urinary retention, and skin peeling or peeling. In case of accidental exposure to boric acid, the exposed parts of the skin must be washed immediately with a good amount of water, and in case of ingestion, specialized medical care must be sought. Cases of boric poisoning are now considered rare due to the discontinuation of its use in the treatment of medical injuries, but the death rate among children and infants in the past as a result of this poisoning was high and dangerous.