The Slime Factor: Breaking Bad or tween capitalism?

It can be made for little or nothing, with items that can be easily purchased or even found in the home. And once properly manufactured, it is being sold and distributed on playgrounds and in the halls of our local schools. It seems to have dropped on the Coast from out of nowhere and without much warning, leaving depleted allowances and a gooey mess in its wake.

Its street name is “slime” and its being made and sold right under our noses.

But what exactly is “slime” and why are children so fascinated with both the making of and selling of it? And is slime just harmless fun or is it a dangerous homemade concoction?

Basically, it starts with a internet search. Type in the word “slime” into the Google search engine and in far less than one second, you have access to more than 70,000,000 entries, the most popular being “How to make slime.”

Slime is a “do-it-yourself” (DIY) project that is being made in homes across the country, as well as in South Mississippi, where bathrooms become slime labs.

The ingredients can be purchased at any supermarket for less than $10, but it is being sold at local school with a profit margin that far exceeds its cost. While it is first and foremost a DIY craft, it is also an example of DIY capitalism — a small ball of slime can be sold for as little as $2 and for as much as $20 because of the demand for a high-quality product.

It hit schools earlier this year, probably oozing in over the Christmas break.

What is slime

Slime, also called “Gak,” is a squishy, stretchable product that is very reminiscent of Silly Putty, a popular toy from Crayola that was made from silicone polymers. And it’s not the Nickelodeon slime that might first come to mind, either.

The primary ingredients in homemade slime are Borax, or sodium borate — a laundry detergent — and white glue. The basic recipe for slime is simple math — mix 1/4 bottle of glue with 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of Borax. It’s also science 101 — the Borax causes the liquid polymer in the glue to bind, creating a large polymer mass.

But past that, food coloring, glitter and even scented lotions can be added to create a boutique market niche for the product.

The local market

One Biloxi Junior High School student, whom we identify as “Emily,” said the slime phenomenon is “addictive.

“We are selling slime because it’s really, like, addictive to squish it,” Emily said. “It really helps us to relax — I know the girl who makes the best slime, she makes the fluffy slime, she makes the slimy slime — she makes great slime. It’s just awesome.”

She said the slime business is also one that comes with certain risks.

“The teachers don’t know we’re doing it and if they do, they take it from us or write us up,” Emily said. “But we still do it.”

And there’s a reason the students keep making and selling it — the euphoric feeling of squeezing slime is very short-lived.

“It last about a week, but that’s only if you don’t play with it a lot,” she said. “If you play with it a lot, it only lasts a few days.”

Mikayla, 12, is a seventh-grade student at D’Iberville Middle School who is also a buyer of slime. She said she became interested in it after seeing posts made on social media platforms.

“I saw some famous people posting about slime on their Instagram accounts,” Mikayla said. “Then everybody started doing it.”

Mikayla said she has bought the product, at school, from multiple dealers.

“I bought some for $2 from one person and I’ve bought if from other people, too,” she said.

Is it safe?

Although slime manufacturing is considered relatively safe, some health officials do have concerns with mixing the chemicals found in Borax and glue at home.

In a report from NBC4 in Columbus, Ohio, Connecticut pediatrician Richard Uluski said the product can be dangerous, especially if ingested. Uluski told NBC4 that ingesting the slime could lead to seizures.

The last study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The National Institute of Occupational Seafront and Health (NIOSH) was conducted in 1989. The study shows that prolonged exposure to borates can irritate the skin and eyes. The Mississippi Department of Health has no information regarding the making of slime on its website.

But, in a report by parents.com, Vanessa Stoloff, M.D., a family practitioner at the University of Pennsylvania, said the risks form manufacturing slime are very minimal and that the product is safe for children to make.

The slime fallout

“Slime is a problem everywhere,” said Biloxi Junior High School principal Scott Powell. “You can not contain it.”

Powell said that the problem many school administrators face is the ability for slime dealers to regroup — quickly.

“You get it down to one source and it’s slid to the next before you know it,” he said. “It seeps into every aspect of our school.”

From cinnamon toothpicks to Pokemon cards, schools have always had a black market underbelly. But Powell said he believes the slime fad will eventually go away.

“I hope it’s just a passing fad,” he said.

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 5:29 AM with the headline "The Slime Factor: Breaking Bad or tween capitalism?."