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Camphor Poisoning (ER)
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| Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 | | CWK Producer |
“You smell sick, you smell strange, don’t you?”
– Dr. Carden Johnston, emergency room pediatrician
Little Damon Smith does smell a little like camphor and menthol. Two hours before coming to the hospital, his mother found him in his room with an empty bottle of inhalant, which is used in a heated vaporizer installed in the boy’s bedroom to help him breathe when he has a cold.
Erica Curry, Damon’s mother, says, “Well, I took his clothes off him because they were soaked with this, and the teddy bears were soaked also … so I took his clothes off of him and rinsed his mouth out with water.”
Then she called 911– and poison control – before going to the emergency room.
Every year, more than 90,000 young children are accidentally poisoned, and more than 90% of these injuries occur at home.
“Camphor is one of those things that can make some kids have seizures, so that’s one reason we’re sitting here watching him,” says Dr. Carden Johnston, an emergency room pediatrician. “And then it’s got methyl salicylate in it – that’s called oil of wintergreen; it’s pretty strong, and it’s stronger than just baby aspirin, so we worry about aspirin poison.” Dr. Johnston says there is little evidence that vaporized camphor helps anyone breathe better.
Two hours after Damon arrived at the emergency room, he hasn’t had a seizure. Both Dr. Johnston and the 3-year-old’s mother are hoping for more good news. Upon Damon’s arrival, a nurse took a blood sample to measure his level of salicylate, a form of aspirin. While they wait for the result, Damon explains, none of this really his fault. His says the problem lies with his teddy bear, which opened the bottle of inhalant in the first place!
When the blood test comes back, Damon’s level of salicylate is near zero, which means he probably didn’t swallow any of the inhalant. He may have simply poured it all over himself and his bear, and now he can go home.
“I don’t even know how he got this because this wasn’t in his room, but now I know I have to put everything up higher … out of his sight,” Damon’s mother says.
Experts agree that’s good advice. They say there’s no time like the present to lock up solvents, oils, sprays and chemicals, especially if there’s a child 4 years old or younger in the house.
Tips for Parents
Camphor has been used for centuries as an antiseptic, a cold remedy, a moth repellent, a contraceptive and even an aphrodisiac. It is mainly found in popular household medicines like Campho-Phenique and Vicks VapoRub. Recent reports of children accidentally swallowing Campho-Phenique provide evidence that using products containing camphor poses potential risks. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, approximately 10,000 accidental poisonings have occurred due to camphor.
Camphor poisoning may result in dizziness, tension, hallucinations and mental confusion. The initial stimulation, which may be associated with a seizure, is followed by central nervous system depression, which may involve coma or death due to respiratory failure. Children can be poisoned not only by swallowing or breathing camphor, but also through contact with their skin and eyes.
The National Institutes of Health lists the following symptoms of camphor poisoning:
- Burning in the mouth
- Breath odor (camphor smell)
- Excessive thirst
- Twitching of the facial muscles
- Burning in the throat
- Spasms
- Convulsions
- Slow breathing
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Rapid pulse
- Dizziness
- Irrational behavior
- Tension
- Unconsciousness
If you believe your child has ingested camphor, do not induce vomiting. Corrosive chemicals could destroy the membranes of the mouth, throat and esophagus. If your child is conscious and not convulsing, give him or her one or two glasses of water to dilute the chemical. Immediately call a hospital or poison control center, be prepared to give medical personnel the following information:
- Child’s age, weight and condition
- Name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
- Time your child swallowed the product
- Amount of the product your child swallowed
The American Association of Poison Control Centers offers these tips to help keep children safe from camphor and other poisons:
- Lock poisonous products and medicines out of the reach and sight of children.
- Store poisonous products in their original labeled containers.
- Keep medicines, vitamins and household products in containers with child resistant caps.
- Before using a potentially poisonous product, carefully read the label on the bottle.
- While using a potentially poisonous product, never leave it unattended. A child may find it.
- After using a potentially poisonous product, put it back in a locked cabinet. Make sure the container is closed tightly.
- Never call medicine “candy.” Children may eat medicine thinking it is candy.
- Do not take or give medicine in front of children or while another child is watching.
- Check your house for peeling paint.
- Install carbon monoxide detectors.
- Keep the telephone number of your local poison control center on or near your telephones.
References
- American Association of Poison Control Centers
- National Institutes of Health
- Southern Medical Association
