Baby Safety / Compounds / Boron oxide

Is Boron oxide safe for babies and kids?

High risk for kids

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human pregnant context.) GHS Danger classification. Classified for reproductive toxicity.

What is boron oxide?

The IUPAC name is 2,4,5-trioxa-1,3-diborabicyclo[1.1.1]pentane.

Also known as: 2,4,5-trioxa-1,3-diborabicyclo[1.1.1]pentane, Boron sesquioxide, 483W67CPF4, Boron Oxydatum.

IUPAC name
2,4,5-trioxa-1,3-diborabicyclo[1.1.1]pentane
CAS number
1303-86-2
Molecular formula
B2O3
Molecular weight
69.63 g/mol
SMILES
O=BOB=O
PubChem CID
11073337

Risk for babies

High risk

GHS Danger classification. Classified for reproductive toxicity.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

High risk

GHS Danger classification. Classified for reproductive toxicity.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Boron oxide. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 1 positive / 18 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 1 positive / 18 negative reports)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter boron oxide

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Boron oxide:

  • Inherently flame-resistant materials (wool, modacrylic, Nomex)
    Trade-offs: Higher material cost. Limited color/texture options.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Barrier fabric technology
    Trade-offs: Adds manufacturing step and cost
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain boron oxide?

Boron oxide appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Waste treatment sites (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

See Boron oxide in the baby app

Look up products containing boron oxide, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (3)
  1. PubChem Compound CID 11073337 — database
  2. EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard — DTXSID7034387 — epa
  3. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 1303-86-2 — reference

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →