NEW ORLEANS – The craze of making homemade slime is back, but after one child received chemical burns, parents are asking about safer methods to make slime and still have fun.
Kids and parents are heading to gather supplies so much there have been reports of stores running out of glue.
Social videos making and featuring slime have reached thousands of viewers.
However, some of the ‘recipes’ call for borax to activate the slime.
“We actually have a name for that, we call it the boiled lobster burn” said Dr. James Diaz, with LSU Public Health. Diaz studies medical toxicology and poisons.
He explained that borax, when mixed with water, becomes boric acid and can burn the skin.
“The redness is a second-degree burn and the peeling of the skin is a third-degree burn,” he explained. “If infected, a third-degree burn can be converted into a fourth-degree burn which has to be treated by a skin graft.”
There are safer ways to make slimy goo without risk of dangerous burns. They don’t take much time or ingredients; glue, contact solution, baking soda, and food coloring.
- Add 4 oz of glue in a bowl
- Add half a tablespoon of baking soda
- Add 1 tablespoon of contact lens solution
- Add your choice of food coloring.
- Mix it all up. When it starts to thicken put it on a plate and knead it until you get your finished stretchy product.