Is boric acid dangerous to humans?
Question:I want to use it to keep out the roaches, but is it safe? Where do I get it and how much do I need to use?
Answers:
Yes. Boric acid is dangerous to humans and animals when ingested (as are window cleaner, bowl cleaner, bleach, etc.).
When used for roaches, the usual method is to dust all corners and wall joints with a duster (a small vessel used specifically for acid dusting). This is generally safe as long as you avoid food preparation areas (which seems to defeat the purpose in the case of roaches), but can pose a problem to pets and/or small children, as they may ingest an unsafe amount.
Avoid consumer roach powders with boric acid in them; the boric acid powder is the active ingredient, so just get 100% boric acid powder (most dollar stores and home improvement centers have them, and it's generally cheaper).
If you DO have pets or small children, or the infestation is particularly plentiful, there is an alternative method to dusting... wall treatment. This is how it's done:
1). Mark off all studs in each room so that you know where they are (simple pencil mark will do).
2). Drill a small hole in the wall area between each stud, just big enough to insert the tip of the boric acid container (most brands come in a plastic bottle with an applicator tip) or the end of the duster.
NOTE: Avoid all air circulation ducts, pipes and wiring!
3). Deliver the boric acid powder into each hole (about 4 or 5 tablespoons worth seems to work just fine, but it depends on the roach population).
4). Spackle up the holes.
That's it!
It seems like a lot, but is really a small price to pay when you have a roach infestation... and it will keep away roaches (and a few other pest bugs) for about 8-10 years.
Boric acid powder sticks to the roaches, poisoning them and their eggs, following them everywhere they go and infecting (so to speak) every other roach they come in contact with. It kills just about everything within the first 24-48 hours, but you will generally SEE more roaches during this period, so expect it and don't worry... they will die.
Now the nasty part...
There will be bodies. The more you have, the more bodies there will be, and clean up can be disturbing (trust me on this one, I've lived in roach infested Brooklyn).
Incidentally, BOTH methods have worked well for me, but if you do the wall treatment, they will not come back. I've done it as a preventative measure in the last few places I've lived as well as a few times for friends (one had a MAJOR infestation in house she rents out) and I swear by it.
Good luck and happy hunting!
It can be used as an antiseptic for minor burns or cuts and is sometimes used in dressings or salves or is applied in a very dilute solution as an eye wash. As an anti-bacterial compound, boric acid can also be used as an acne treatment. It is poisonous if taken internally or inhaled, although it is generally not considered to be much more toxic than table salt (based on its mammal LD50 rating of 2660mg/kg body mass).[1][this source's reliability may need verification]. The Thirteenth Edition of the Merck Index indicates that the LD50 of boric acid is 5.14 g/kg for oral dosages given to rats, and that 5 to 20 g has produced death in adult humans. The LD50 of sodium chloride is reported to be 3.75 g/kg in rats according to the Merk Index.
Boric acid can be used to treat yeast and fungal infections such as candidiasis (vaginal yeast infections) by inserting a vaginal suppository containing 600 mg of boric acid twice daily for 14 days (PMID 10865926). It is also used as prevention of athlete's foot, by inserting powder in the socks or stockings, and in solution can be used to treat some kinds of otitis externa (ear infection) in both humans and animals. The preservative in urine sample bottles (red cap) in the UK is boric acid.
Boric acid has the distinction of being the only known acid that is actually beneficial (rather than harmful) to the eyes, and as such is used by ophthalmologists and in some commercial eye drops
yes it can be...boric acid is inorganic of relitive low mammalian toxicty..boric acid kills by disrupting the conversion of engery within cells
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