ARE you having the grandchildren over during the Christmas holidays and maybe doing some baby sitting during the long school break? Well put the essential oils away as even swallowing a tiny amount can be life threatening to a child.
Poisoning by essential oils is on the rise in Australia with just under two-thirds of cases (63 per cent) occurring in children under 15 according to researchers - in many cases the essential oils have been mistaken for cough medicines.
The study on calls to the NSW Poisons Information Centre (NSWPIC) between 2011 and 2018 found that most exposures were accidental however in 105 cases people had intentionally swallowed them for perceived health benefits.
Essential oils are aromatic, volatile liquids extracted from plants by steam distillation. They are readily available in pharmacies, supermarkets, health food stores and online and are typically used topically or added to vapourisers, but oral ingestion of small amount is recommended by some suppliers.
The onset of toxicity can be rapid and small quantities (as little as 5 mL) can cause life threatening toxicity in children
- Dr Rose Cairns, Director of Research at the NSW Poisons Information Centre
The researchers, led by Dr Rose Cairns, Director of Research at the NSWPIC and a lecturer at the University of Sydney, wrote that essential oils can cause extreme toxicity when ingested, the risk dependent on the oil used.
"The onset of toxicity can be rapid and small quantities (as little as 5 mL) can cause life threatening toxicity in children," Dr Cairns and colleagues wrote.
There were 4412 calls to the NSWPIC about essential oil exposures in the four year research period; 31 per cent (1387) had symptoms of poisoning at the time of the call. The number of calls increased from 1011 in 2014-15 to 1177 in 2017-18 a 16.4 per cent increase.
Most exposures were accidental (3530, 80 per cent) or the result of therapeutic error (580, 13 per cent).
The essential oils most frequently involved in poisoning calls were eucalyptus (2049, 46.4 per cent), tea tree (749, 17 per cent), lavender (271, 6.1 per cent), clove (179, 4.1 per cent), and peppermint oils (154, 3.5 per cent).
The researchers recommend that essential oils be kept separate from oral medications to prevent therapeutic errors.
Flow restrictors and child-proof caps are only required when the essential oil volume is more than 15 mL.
"As severe toxicity can be caused by as little as 5mL, this is inadequate for protection children," wrote the researchers.
The research was published in the Medical Journal of Australia.