Boric acid |
Last updated: 24/10/2024
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(Also known as: hydrogen borate; boracic acid; orthoboric acid; acidium boricum; sassolite) |
Boric acid has antiseptic and insecticidal activity. It is highly soluble in water but little is known about its environmental fate. It tends to have a low to moderate toxicity to biodiversity. Boric acid has a low oral mammalian toxicity and is a recognised irritant. |
The following alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement.
Environmental fate |
Ecotoxicity |
Human health |
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A weak acid of boron that has antiseptic and insecticidal activity |
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Cockroaches; Palmetto bugs; Water bugs; Ant; Silverfish; Carpenter Ants; Termites |
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Domestic, commercial and industrial non-food areas |
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- |
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- |
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Current |
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- |
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- |
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Not approved |
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Not applicable |
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No UK approval for use |
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414) |
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Not approved |
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Poland |
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Not applicable |
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Not applicable |
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Yes |
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ATAustria |
BEBelgium |
BGBulgaria |
CYCyprus |
CZCzech Republic |
DEGermany |
DKDenmark |
EEEstonia |
ELGreece |
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ESSpain |
FIFinland |
FRFrance |
HRCroatia |
HUHungary |
IEIreland |
ITItaly |
LTLithuania |
LULuxembourg |
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LVLatvia |
MTMalta |
NLNetherlands |
PLPoland |
PTPortugal |
RORomania |
SESweden |
SISlovenia |
SKSlovakia |
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ISIceland |
NONorway |
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None |
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H₃BO₃ |
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B(O)(O)O |
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No data |
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KGBXLFKZBHKPEV-UHFFFAOYSA-N |
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InChI=1S/BH3O3/c2-1(3)4/h2-4H |
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Yes |
Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre diagrams |
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Common Name |
Relationship |
Link |
boric acid |
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Insecticide, Fungicide, Other substance |
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Biocide, Wood preservative, Embalming fluid, Slimicide, Disinfectant, Algicide |
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Inorganic compound; Monobasic acid |
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- |
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- |
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Natural |
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Stomach poison. Antifeed for insects distrupting insect enzyme & digestive systems. Multi-site activity. |
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Naturally occurring mineral acid that can be found in soil of certain volcanic areas, seawater and in all plants especially fruit |
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Produced synthetically for commercial use by reacting borax (sodium tetraborate decahydrate) with a mineral acid, such as hydrochloric acid |
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Wood preservation; Anti-fungal treatment |
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Cockroaches; Palmetto bugs; Water bugs; Ant; Silverfish; Carpenter Ants; Termites |
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Domestic, commercial and industrial non-food areas |
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- |
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10043-35-3 |
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233-139-2 |
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None allocated |
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011001 |
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7628 |
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005-007-00-2 |
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61.83 |
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- |
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boric acid |
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boric acid |
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- |
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- |
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Not applicable |
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Not applicable |
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8D |
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NC |
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- |
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White crystalline, odourless powder |
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57000 |
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
High |
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- |
- |
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171 |
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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300 |
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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1.75 X 10-01 |
Calculated |
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-0.757 |
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Low |
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- |
- |
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- |
- |
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1.435 |
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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9.24 |
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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Naturally occurring as borate in many soils |
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As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below. |
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Soil adsorption and mobility |
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None
Terrestrial ecotoxicology |
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2660 |
Rat |
Low |
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- |
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- |
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> 5620 |
Anas platyrhynchos |
Low |
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> 1000 |
Unknown species |
Low |
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> 362 |
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
Low |
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- |
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- |
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- |
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> 50.0 |
Oncorhynchus mykiss |
Moderate |
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> 2.1 |
Oncorhynchus mykiss |
Moderate |
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1456 |
Danio rerio Embryo |
Low |
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< 115 |
Daphnia magna |
Low |
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- |
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HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION |
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High (class III) |
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2660 |
Rat |
Low |
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2000 |
Rat |
- |
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Intravenous LD₅₀ = 1330 mg kg⁻¹ |
Rat |
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Subcutaneous LD₅₀ = 1400 mg kg⁻¹ |
Rat |
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Boric acid is rapidly excreted, primarily in the urine, 89-98% of boric acid and inorganic borates are eliminated in the urine over a 96-hour period. |
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Carcinogen |
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Endocrine disruptor |
XNo, known not to cause a problem |
A0 A = Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; B0 B = DNA damage/repair (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; C0 C = Gene mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; D0 D = Genome mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; E3 E = Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 3 = Negative |
XNo, known not to cause a problem |
Reproduction / development effects |
Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor |
Neurotoxicant |
✓Yes, known to cause a problem |
XNo, known not to cause a problem |
XNo, known not to cause a problem |
Respiratory tract irritant |
Skin irritant |
Skin sensitiser |
✓Yes, known to cause a problem |
✓Yes, known to cause a problem |
No data found |
Eye irritant |
Phototoxicant |
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✓Yes, known to cause a problem |
No data found |
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Slightly toxic, may cause gastro-intestinal problems |
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Non-flammable, flame retardant |
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Health: H360FD |
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Not listed (Not listed) |
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Not regulated |
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boric acid |
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Borsaure |
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Record last updated: |
24/10/2024 |
Contact: |
aeru@herts.ac.uk |
Please cite as: |
Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242 |