Context - Food and drinking water commonly contain some boron. Boron is used for instance in laundry products. Could boron exposure affect my health? Under what conditions could it be beneficial or harmful to the environment?

This Digest is a faithful summary of the leading scientific consensus report produced in 1998 by the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS): "Executive Summary of the Environmental Health Criteria for Boron (EHC 204)".