"What this means is that the average person can safely ingest 20 milligrams of boron every day, which is well above the one to three milligrams most people consume every day as part of a healthy diet," said Elaine Dorward-King, Global Executive of Environment, Health & Safety for Rio Tinto Borax, the world's leading supplier of boron-based minerals called borates.

Boron is essential to plant growth - and boron-based fertilizers are key to maximizing yield in almost every crop grown today. In turn, the average American consumes approximately one to three milligrams of boron as part of a healthy diet. Recent research shows that the top ten contributors of dietary boron include coffee, milk, apples, beans, potatoes, orange juice, peanut butter, wine, apple juice and cola drinks.

While the FNB's findings do not set a level for how much boron people need to stay healthy, they do set a level for how much boron is safe for people to consume. Similar levels have also been published by the Institute for Evaluating Health Risks, The European Centre for the Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals, and the World Health Organization's International Programme on Chemical Safety.

"This is a positive result for Borax. We'll continue to fund world-class research on boron, and share it with government and academic experts in the field of human nutrition. We believe it's the best way to ensure that our products are safe for people and the environment, and that boron-based products are appropriately regulated." said Dr. Dorward-King.

Rio Tinto Borax is a division of London-based Rio Tinto, one of the world's leading mining concerns. Borax ships approximately one million tons of refined borates from its mining and refining operation in Boron. Borates are key ingredients in the manufacture of glass, fiberglass, ceramics, detergents, fertilizers, wood preservatives and many other products.