Substances of Very High Concern: Specialty products

Statement on substances of very high concern: Specialty products

This statement concerns the following U.S. Borax products:

• Ammonium pentaborate
• Liquibor^®
• Polybor^® Flow
• Potassium pentaborate
• Potassium tetraborate
• Sodium metaborate 4-mol
• Sodium metaborate 8-mol
• Sodium pentaborate
• Solubor^® Flow

These products manufactured by U.S. Borax are derived from naturally occurring mineral and inorganic chemical sources, and are produced in a simple aqueous process. As a consequence of their natural origin, cadmium can be present as one of the metal impurities in extremely small quantities. Cadmium was included in the Candidate List in June 2013. We regularly analyze for cadmium and other metals: Cadmium is reported as being present at <0.1ppm.

None of these U.S. Borax products contain any borate substance that is included in the current Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC), as published on the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) website.

Boric acid, disodium tetraborate, diboron trioxide, and disodium octaborate, which are included on the Candidate List, are used as intermediates (within the definition of REACH) in the production of the above products and are thus not present in these products. Industry convention means that U.S. Borax’s products are often described in terms of the B₂O₃ content, but this should not be misinterpreted that B₂O₃, or diboron trioxide, exists in the new products. It is important to distinguish between the percentage B₂O₃ used to describe a composition and the substance diboron trioxide itself. Within the context of REACH, it is the substance diboron trioxide which has been identified as an SVHC and not the percentage B₂O₃.

Based on current and available information, none of the other substances identified on the Candidate List is used in our production processes to produce the above products. Whilst we do not specifically test for their presence, we do not expect them to be present in our final packaged product.

Resources

• Exposure scenarios
• Email product stewardship

May 2020