By Travis Uresk
2/8/25
| Vernal, Ut. | January 7th, 2025 - February 7th, 2025 |
On 1/7/25, the Utah Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) received a Child Abuse and Neglect Report (CANR).
The report stated that 47-year-old Barbara Susan Williford disclosed to the school that she was putting a pinch of Borax in her daughter's water. It was also reported that her daughter has been sick a lot this school year with a continual upset stomach, rashes, and really bad acne, which are symptoms from exposure to Borax.
On 1/14/25, the 14-year-old victim was interviewed at the Children's Justice Center in Roosevelt. During that interview, the victim stated that she had witnessed her mom putting Borax in their drinking water, that she did it for health reasons, and that it would help her slim down.
She described it as a pinch only once a day beginning a few years ago. She also disclosed that Barbara gives her horse pills, but she couldn't remember the name—it possibly starts with a B. She also stated that her little brother also drinks the Borax.
On 1/17/25, the 14-year-old victim underwent a medical exam. The Final Report states that the 14-year-old admitted to drinking water with a small amount of Borax in it while at her mother's house to help with her immune system.
It also states that the victim's exposure to chronic Borax ingestion is potentially dangerous and could have long-term negative implications. Borax is not recommended nor FDA-approved for ingestion. It has potential negative effects, such as kidney issues, anemia, and seizures, in addition to more immediate side effects of nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and rashes.
On 1/22/2025, the DCFS caseworker went to Barbara's residence to speak with her regarding providing Borax to her children. It was reported that Barbara told them they were uneducated and wouldn't allow them inside the residence.
On 2/7/2025, a search warrant was requested and approved for the search of Borax at Barbara's residence.
But before serving the warrant, Barbara denied providing her children with Borax for ingestion but later stated that there was a time when all other family members were sick with strep throat except for her and her two children. Barbara eluded that the reason they were not sick was due to the Borax ingestion. Barbara admitted that she added Borax to her drinking water to help with inflammation, pain, and weight loss.
During the search of Barbara's residence, multiple boxes of Borax were located, including a jar with white powder believed to be Borax. The box of Borax states that if ingested, to call a physician immediately.
Barbara is being booked into Uintah County Jail for Aggravated child abuse for (a) inflicting upon a child serious physical injury. Serious physical injury means any physical injury or set of injuries that (I) seriously impairs the child's health. Serious bodily injury includes: (VI) any damage to the body's internal organs. A violation of aggravated child abuse is a third-degree felony if done recklessly.
Barbara is also being booked into Uintah County Jail for surreptitious administration of certain substances. An actor commits surreptitious administration of a certain substance if the actor surreptitiously or by means of fraud, deception, or misrepresentation, causes an individual to unknowingly consume or receive the administration of: (a) any poisonous, deleterious, or controlled substance. Barbara provided a misrepresentation of Borax by telling her 14-year-old daughter that Borax provided health benefits.
Is Borax safe to ingest or put on your skin?
Borax is marketed as a green product because it doesn’t contain phosphates or chlorine. Instead, its main ingredient is sodium tetraborate, a naturally occurring mineral.
People sometimes confuse sodium tetraborate — the main ingredient in Borax — and boric acid, which has similar properties. Boric acid, however, is usually used exclusively as a pesticide and is much more toxic than sodium tetraborate, so it should be handled with extra special care.
Though these are different boron-based compounds, neither of them are safe to drink.
While Borax may be natural, that doesn't mean it's completely safe. Borax often comes in a box with a caution label warning users that the product is an eye irritant and that it may be harmful if swallowed.
While Borax is a chemical water softener that can be directly added to the laundry, this does not mean it is safe to consume orally.
In dedicated household water softener units that rely on the active ingredient in Borax (sodium tetraborate), the chemical is confined to the brine tank and never comes in contact with fresh drinking water.
While people are mostly exposed to Borax in their homes, they may also encounter it at work, such as in factories or at borax mining and refining plants.
The National Institutes of Health has found that Borax has been associated with several adverse health effects in humans. These include:
irritation
hormone issues
toxicity
death
Hormone problems
High exposure to Borax (and boric acid) is believed to disrupt the body's hormones. They may especially impair male reproduction, reducing sperm count and libido.
In one study Trusted Source, scientists found that rats fed Borax experienced atrophy of their testes, or reproductive organs. In women, Borax may reduce ovulation and fertility. In pregnant lab animals, high-level exposures to Borax was found to cross the placenta border, harming fetal development and causing low birth weight.
Toxicity
Borax is quickly broken down by the body if ingested and inhaled. Scientists have linked borax exposure — even from cosmetics — to organ damage and serious poisonings.
Death
If a young child ingests as little as 5 to 10 grams of Borax, they may experience severe vomiting, diarrhea, shock, and death. Small children can be exposed to Borax through hand-to-mouth transfer, especially if they play with slime made with Borax or crawl around the floor where pesticides have been applied.
Fatal doses of borax exposure for adults are estimated at 10 to 25 grams.
According to the David Suzuki Foundation, Borax poses significant health risks. To reduce that risk, people can replace the borax-containing products they normally use with safer alternatives. Some alternatives to Borax it suggests include:
Disinfectants such as food-grade hydrogen peroxide, half a lemon, salt, white vinegar, and essential oils.
Clothing detergents such as liquid or powdered oxygen bleach, baking soda, and washing soda.
Mold and mildew fighters such as salt or white vinegar.
Cosmetics that contain natural ingredients other than Borax or boric acid.
Canada and the European Union restrict the use of Borax in some cosmetic and health products and require that any products containing these ingredients be labeled as inappropriate for use on broken or damaged skin. Such safety regulations don't exist in the United States.
In an emergency
In the event that someone ingests or inhales Borax, especially a child, call the American Association of Poison Control Centers immediately at 1-800-222-1222. Medical experts will advise you on how to act. How the situation is handled depends on the age and size of the person, as well as the dose of Borax they were exposed to.
All the articles from 1nationjustice.com are from the affidavits of probable cause reports that the officers write. If you would like, you can get a copy of the report from the website below. It does cost money to get on the site and to open every document you want to read.
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