'natural' Oils Can Poison, Doctor Warns
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday March 18, 1991
Children are being poisoned by eucalyptus and tea tree oils left lying around by parents who think they are "natural" and therefore safe, according to a letter in this week's edition of the Medical Journal of Australia.
In the letter, Dr Helen Wilkinson, the community paediatric registrar at Hornsby Child Health centre, tells of four recent cases of serious poisoning with the oils. One two-year-old boy arrived at the hospital comatose and remained in varying levels of coma for four days.
Three other children had drunk tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil and oil of lavender. All three showed serious signs of toxicity and had to be anaesthetised so their stomachs could be pumped effectively.
Dr Wilkinson said that many parents mistakenly believed such oils were safe products that did not need to be locked away like ordinary medicines. She said the oils were perceived to be "natural" or homeopathic and therefore harmless
© 1991 Sydney Morning Herald
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