gary3029 Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi Does anyone know where I can buy borax from here in the UK where it is cost effective to use. I suspect it is still on our shelves, but under another name because they are looking at banning it's sale. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi Does anyone know where I can buy borax from here in the UK where it is cost effective to use. I suspect it is still on our shelves, but under another name because they are looking at banning it's sale. Thanks Try here: http://mistralni.co.uk/catalogue/product/11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toby Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Tesco were selling Borax, I bought 400g from their Eco-section, I've since read that pure borax was considered too strong for home use. There's someone on Amazon selling it without a prohibitively high postage charge. http://www.amazon.co...4&creative=6738 I've also seen that Boots did sell it, but they may have stopped at the same time they withdrew Sodium Bicarbonate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 You can't by borax or baking soda in the UK? What kind of craziness is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toby Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Utter nonsence, we have a nanny state and a overlord super state which is run by an unelected set of commisioners. We actually have it good, the problem is the civil servants need employing once they've done a good job. Take bananas - In the EU, the committee in charge of standardising and improving the quality of fruit presented to the hapless consumer had legislated everything they could think of. At a meeting where they were scratching their heads on what to do next, the british delegate suggested as a joke legislating for straight bananas (unlike some EU countries the UK sees slipping on a banana as funny - apologies to those who dont) the rest of the attendees thought this was a fantastically good suggestion. The whole thing got out of hand, the world switched to this variety of bananas and now a disease is wiping out this banana variety which produces straight bananas... Sorry back to the point... someone might slightly misuse borax! Also sadly baking soda was used to dilute illegal substances, so its bulk cheap availability was curtailed. I can see their view, I can also see the other side of the coin. Take your pick. (sorry this has nothing to do with chemistry - moderator please feel free to delete this useless waffle) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegsOnEarth Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 How do you adjust your alkalinity? Or make science fair volcanos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbear Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 How do you adjust your alkalinity? Or make science fair volcanos? Or treat heartburn or brush your teeth or freshen your refrigerator or cat litter pan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem geek Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is available in the U.K. You can even buy it on Amazon. There's also Dr. Oetker (Supercook) Bicarbonate of Soda (also here). There's also Dri-Pak Bicarbonate of Soda, Bob's Red Mill Baking Soda, Tesco Bicarbonate of Soda, Borwick's Bicarbonate of Soda and I'm sure countless other brands and sources. Now Borax (disodium tetraborate), boric acid, and related concentrated boron products are essentially not found in the EU except for use as a wood preservative as specified by 98/8/EC. This link shows those substances not included in Annex I or Ia (the deemed-to-be-safe for use lists) as with 2008/809/EC for Product Type 2 (PT2) which is "private area and public health area disinfectants and other biocidal products" and with 2007/565/EC for Product Type 18 which is "insecticides, acaricides and products to control other arthropods". Presumably this is due to the toxicity of concentrated product, but not the inhalation risk (LC50 > 0.16 mg/L) or the oral risk from dog studies (LD50 > 974 mg/kg), but rather from classification as toxic for reproduction category 2. The U.S. EPA and the European Commission took very different approaches looking at the same data. The EPA used a No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of 8.8 mg/kg/day where there were no effects including any associated with reproduction. The EC saw the same data and concluded differently -- not that the NOAEL was wrong (the EC uses 9.6 mg/kg), but rather that the risk of getting exposed to too much concentrated product was deemed to be too high. See Opinion on Boron compounds where boric acid products with < 5.5% concentration are OK, but more concentrated products must be labeled as potentially toxic to reproduction (see this link). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toby Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 Thanks, That's a shame, because borax is brilliant for curbing weevils and other mites. I'll use my remaining supply with care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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