Slime which is a big hit with children is not as innocent as it seems. Slime is very tactile; it’s sticky, slimy and jelly like and kids play with it as they would modeling clay. But the fun has some hidden dangers.
Slime can be made at home with ingredients like white plastic glue, shaving cream, liquid laundry detergent or fabric softeners which all contain dangerous substances including borax. You can have a fun looking doughy, slimy, colorful soft and flexible toy to play with. The problem is these substances can put your child in the hospital as the cleaning agents in them cause allergies, problems breathing, and skin inflammation.
“Swallowing borax is very dangerous for small children and can be very poisonous so children should not use this as a toy” says the ministry of health. Acids contained in slime are dangerous to breathe in and can cause inflammations in the respiratory tract.
Continued skin contact with the chemicals in slime will damage the skin. Studies around the world show children that sustained skin burns so serious they needed plastic surgery and skin grafts. In minor cases the children needed medical attention to heal skin wounds and rashes.
Allergic reactions to the chemicals vary: A chocking sensation and short breath, metallic taste in the throat, nausea, headaches red marks on the hands and more. So keep your children away from slime.