Saturday, March 24, 2012

P S A: Citronella Torch Oil & Kids

We break from our regularly scheduled programing to bring you this very important public service announcement on a common household poison.  Citronella fuel oil poisoning and kids. 

Two years ago this spring my family was out enjoying the first nice, spring day of the year.  We had spent the day dragging our patio furniture out of winter hibernation and were getting ready to head to a BBQ.  In the blink of an eye our son Matthew, 21 months old at the time, climbed up on patio chair, reached for a decorative citronella fuel oil lantern we had on the table and brought it up to his face.  We’re not sure if he thought it was a toy ball or a sippy cup or what he was trying to do with it but the oil spilled all over his face.  He immediately began coughing. 
 
Unsure of what to do we called my physician father who told us to immediately head to the ER.  My husband rushed him to Bryn Mawr Hospital while I stayed back with our then 4 week old son, pacing nervously.  Sean called me a little while later and said they were going to transport him via ambulance to the ICU at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and that I needed to get there.  I remember him sounding so matter of fact on the phone, almost robot-like, probably due to shock.  I began running around the house trying to get things I’d need.  His stuffed doggy would make him feel better.
I had to take my newborn son to a friend’s house because I didn’t want him around the germs of a hospital.  Her house is 2 miles away and I’d been there many times before but I was in such a haze that I kept getting lost.  It felt like a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from.
I arrived at the Emergency Room to find a swarm of people around my baby.  He sat on Sean’s lap with IV’s, crying.  After some debate between the doctors at Bryn Mawr and CHOP the decision was made to put him under and intubate before transport.  Seeing that procedure performed is something I never want to experience again.  We sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to keep him calm and then he was unconscious.  Just hours prior he was running around our deck while we listened to the Phillies on the radio and now he was laying unconscious in a hospital bed.
CHOP sent an ambulance, a doctor and a nurse to pick us up.  I rode with them.  It was surreal.  My baby was unconscious in the back of an ambulance.  Please God, not my baby.
He was brought into the ICU, a flurry of activity around him.  I stood off to the side while they worked on him.  Eventually the team dissipated and I was left holding my baby’s hand.  Unconscious, looking like he was napping like I’d watched him do a hundred times before.  Except this time there were tubes coming out of his nose.  Machines helping him to breathe.  Wearing nothing but a diaper so they could easily work on him.  A kind nurse made sure that his stuffed doggy was always sitting on his shoulder, right next to his face.
They had to keep administering drugs to keep him from waking up in a panic and vomiting the chemical.  We got used to the hourly chest x-ray’s.  We became too versed in the ability to spot the haze of the chemical in his lungs on the x-rays.  We watched his stats on the machines, praying the numbers wouldn’t go down.  We’d listen and ask questions to the team of doctors that would come around and talk to us like we were in a Grey’s Anatomy episode.  They said they were confident he would be fine but he had to remain sedated and intubated for a few days because with citronella poisoning the child can look fine initially but their health could decline in a matter of hours.  It was a painful waiting game.
We didn’t sleep, we didn’t eat.  Sunday came and went.  Monday came and went.  No real improvement on his x-rays but thankfully he wasn’t getting worse which was a positive sign.  Finally on Tuesday it was decided it was probably safe to wake him up.  The first thing he asked for with his scratchy voice was his ‘binky.’  Our baby was back.
By this point we started taking turns giving each other breaks.  We acted so strong in the bubble of the ICU but after those elevator doors opened and dumped us out into the fresh spring air, seeing life go on around us with the bustle of activity in the city, reality sunk in.  We weren’t dreaming.  Our lives were almost destroyed but miracle of miracles, we got our baby back.  
By Thursday his lungs were clear and we were free to take him home.  Those days in the hospital felt like both an eternity and a flash at the same time but we were finally home.  Matthew is almost four now.  He has made a full recovery with no residual damage.  He is a miracle. 
This story is always difficult for me to tell but one I believe needs to be told in order to prevent this from happening to another family.  The director of poison control at CHOP told us Matthew was the first of many cases of citronella fuel oil poisoning they would see that season.  Why had I never heard of this before?  We had child locks, gates, locked up the cleaning products, locked up the medicines.  I consider us good parents.  I’ve heard it so many times before and it is true, it can happen to anyone and it can happen in an instant.
Through all this I was given the gift of perspective.  It sounds so simple.  A healthy little boy and the perspective to enjoy him, his brothers and our life together.  It has changed the way I parent, changed the way I react and changed the way I live.  2 year old tantrums?  Whatever.  4 year old whininess?  Bring it.  I was blessed with 3 healthy, happy, energetic little boys and I couldn’t be luckier.  So hug your babies close and enjoy every miraculous minute.
Some technical information on the dangers of citronella oil:
Citronella fuel oil is one of the most dangerous household chemicals you can have in your home.  I'm just a parent, not a doctor so I can't get into the specifics about which ingredient(s) is the culprit but my main goal is to spread the word that this common household substance can be extremely dangerous.   Torch lamp fuels are often packaged in containers that resemble plastic apple juice bottles yet can be very toxic if ingested or inhaled, causing severe lung injury and even death.   When aspirated into the lungs, citronella fuel oil coats delicate tissues with toxic vapors, causes chemical pneumonia, and can trigger fatal pulmonary arrest.  We all know to keep the bottle the oil comes in out of reach of children but many homes have tiki torches or table lanterns containing the oil that are accessible to kids.   Toddlers are notorious for climbing and pulling up on things.  They can pull a tiki torch down, splashing the oil on their face or grab lanterns full of oil that looks like apple juice on patio tables (just as dangerous unlit).  Keep these items stored when not in use and keep a close eye on kids when they are out. 

Please pass this story along to anyone who may benefit from this information.

56 comments:

  1. I had never heard of this, and I can't believe it's not as well-known! I am so sorry that this happened to you and your wonderful family, and I am so glad he is ok!

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  2. Wow, even hearing the details two years later brought tears to my eyes. I still remember the feeling when I first heard the news about Matthew being in the hospital so I can't even imagine what you went through. I am so glad he's fine.

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  3. Oh my goodness....this is heart-breaking and I applaud you being able to share this story, but you know what? I had no idea about this either, so you are educating people about how dangerous this can be. Tears came to my eyes reading your story. And I'm so very glad your little boy is healthy now and a happy little 4 year old. God bless him and your family.

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  4. My 1 1/2 year old grandson was taken to the hospital just today after injesting citronella torch fuel. They think he will be okay, but he did aspirate a little of it so they're keeping him as a precaution. My daughter is losing her mind, as am I, several hundred miles away in another state. Please pray for my grandson Jaylen.

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    1. My thoughts and prayers are with little Jaylen and your family and wish him a full and speedy recovery.

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  5. OMG.... how scary. Thank you for sharing your story!

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  6. When my daughter was two years old, we had a similar incident but involving charcoal lighter fluid. Our afternoon of BBQ ended with an ambulance ride to the nearest hospital where they "monitored" her. I laid in her hospital bed with her through the night and then they sent us home. We never felt quite right about leaving so soon but we aren't the doctors so what did we know? Within a few days, she developed chemical pneumonia and had to go through the regimen to try and heal her lungs. She is a beautiful and for the most part healthy 10 year old now. She tends to cough a lot at night (doctor thinks it's allergies, but I'm convinced it's due to damage to her lungs).

    The reason she had access to the fluid was due to us running out and asking to borrow it from a neighbor. The neighbor didn't want to let us use the Costco size container so instead they poured some into a glass jar. Hubby set it on the patio table while tending to the grill and my daughter likely thought it was a glass of water. We are pretty good parents too but you can't prepare for everything.

    Glad that your baby is well, I know the fear you went through. Know that you are a good mom and he's a good dad despite this mishap.

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  7. Oh my goodness! I have never heard of this but thank you so much for sharing your story and educating the rest of us! I have 3 boys too! A 5.5 year old and 3 year old twins. We go camping a lot and we use the tiki torches with the citronella oil. We are good parents too with all the safety precautions taken too but we did not even know about this! We will be extra, extra viligent when using them in the future, if we even do! Thank you again for sharing!

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  8. Almost five years ago my son aspirated lamp oil and nearly died. He had to be put on ECMO life support for a week and we spent three weeks in the hospital. He is thankfully fine now but these dangers are real and scary. Thank you for sharing your story. I know it is hard to share but more people need to understand how dangerous things we keep in our houses are.

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  9. My child got into allergy medicine and thankfully most medicines are now packaged in non lethal quantities. I have been walking around in a sleep deprived stupor with infant parenting but it didnt occur to me that she might elevate herself to a place where it had rested ignored by her for a month. Anyway, if anyone is ever unsure of a hazard, if you don't have a doc in the fam call poison control or 911. I don't think any of that makes me a bad parent. I have gone to the ends of the earth for my children. And labeling parents as bad parents if they get into any of the above night prevent someone from making a life saving call to 911. This story illustrates just how quickly kids can get into trouble as we all know, so please, let's acknowledge any of these things can happen to anyone and we all can heighten our sense of caution with more practice I hope, just not convinced though that anyone is immune.

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  10. I'm glad your baby is alright. We had an experience with BABY OIL. My son had very dry skin so to help him (or I thought) I put a little bit of BABY OIL in his bathwater. NEVER DO THIS!!!!!!!! what happened is he put his face in the water , blowing bubbles came up with a little bit of the water and the baby oil. WHEN ANY TYPE OF OIL GETS IN A BABY'S OR CHILD LUNGS IT CAN CAUSE CHEMICAL PNEUMONIA !!!!! I didn't know this, but lesson learned. Never put any oil in your babies or your children's bathwater or near their mouths or noses.

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    1. Wow, just like my story I had never heard of that either! Thank you for sharing!

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  11. I'm so glad he ended up being ok in the end. And thank you for sharing this! I have a 2 year old daughter, so this is good to know.

    Also, as a loss mama to a premature son, I could not agree with this more: "Through all this I was given the gift of perspective. It sounds so simple. A healthy little boy and the perspective to enjoy him, his brothers and our life together. It has changed the way I parent, changed the way I react and changed the way I live. 2 year old tantrums? Whatever. 4 year old whininess? Bring it. I was blessed with 3 healthy, happy, energetic little boys and I couldn’t be luckier. So hug your babies close and enjoy every miraculous minute."

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  12. Oh this just gave me the chills!!! Thank you so much for posting this... and thank god he's fine now. OMG this freaks me out so much....

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  13. OK, it's common sense that any kind of fuel oil is dangerous to anybody, especially kids. But this article says "citronella oil" several times. Citronella oil is an essential oil that repels mosquitoes, and is often added to fuel oils. I wouldn't advise anyone to drink citronella essential oil, either, but the fuel oil and the essential oil are two VERY different things! So are you saying the fuel oil is dangerous, or that the essential oil is dangerous? It seems like you're talking about the fuel oil, but referring to fuel oil as "citronella oil" is misleading and confusing. Not all fuel oils contain citronella. Can you clarify a bit, please? Also, I'm glad your little one is okay now.

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    1. good call, the oil in the picture is not citronella, it is a parafin oil, processed so that it emits almost zero smoke. If the picture is what started all this, I don't even think this bottle has a drip of real citronella in it. Synthtic = dangerous
      I would instantly think of TIKI Ultra pure, smokeless fuel as being dangerous, but not the citronella. We use certified pure therapeutic grade oils in our home every day, so citronella is welcome any time, however a petroleum based chemical wont get much further than the curb.
      So sorry this happened to you & yours, & so glad to hear your son recovered. What a scary experience.

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    2. Based on what I learned at the hospital both fuel oil and essential oils can be toxic depending on how it gets into your system. Even basic baby oil can cause a chemical pneumonia if accidentally aspirated. I'm not a doctor though so I would advise asking your pediatrician what is safe.

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    3. Citronella oil is on the FDA's GRAS or "generally regarded as safe" list. It is not harmful to children and we use it frequently in bug spray. Torch oil is what is harmful and I agree that this article is a bit misleading in the wording. Baby oil is a petroleum product just like torch oil. I'd say avoid all of those petroleum products. They are good for no one. I'm so sorry you had to go through this.

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    4. Remember everything is about the concentration and in this case the age of the person affected. This applies even to essential oils. Breathing in non diluted essential oils can be hazardous to children. There are only a handful (I can think of 3) that are safe for use with children (and only if diluted).

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    5. I used to work at a poison control center, and Jenn is correct. In general the essential oils, while irritants are generally not hazardous to children. The reason is that as soon as a child tastes them they often give a nasty, or burning taste sensation in the mouth and they don't get much more than a taste. We got many calls about these children and the vast majority can be observed at home with callbacks from the poison center. Tiki torch oils are another story,they ar petroleum distillate based and in even a small mouth full can be harmful not only children but also adults. They are much more slippery of an oil and more easily slip down the "wrong pipe" so to speak and can cause the chemical pneumonitis as seen in this child. The best thing to do when something like this happens, which is easier said than done sometimes is not panic...call poison control and they can assess the situation in a very quick couple minutes after some information is given and can direct you appropriately. Sorry you all had to go through this and glad your little guy turned out okay! Scary times I am sure!!

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    6. Any oil is bad for the lungs. It may not cause a chemical burn, but it puts a lubricant on the lungs which isn't safe. My son has a lung disease, not one caused by oil, but we went to a medical conference and they made it very clear that children who aspirate should not even be given even olive oil in their feeds (whether via mouth or tube fed) because if that olive oil gets into the lungs it often causes permanent lung damage, and he made it very clear it was any oil. Mineral oil, olive oil, vegetable oil. Oil is not ever meant to go in the lungs, essential oil is no different.

      Even if they drink it without aspirating, they can then throw it up, where they are more apt to aspirate it.

      So just because it's safe to put on their skin, still be a good parent and keep the essential oils away from the child's reach.

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  14. Thank you so much for sharing your story!

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  15. Thanks for sharing your story! I turned my back and had my 24 month old drink/put his mouth on the wick a "safe candle" from the pumpkin I was about to throw away the day after Halloween and it was scary too! Needless to say we do LED lights now even though they look way dorkier I don't want to be back in the ER again! Glad that he's okay and also glad to know this info! - Another mom of boys

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  16. Dearest Meg & Martin Men - WOW! I have never heard of something like this. I praise God that your little Matthew was a fighter and is now fully healed. As painful as your story was to tell, I must thank you for sharing it. I will certainly be keeping a better eye on my nieces, nephews, friends' kiddos, and neighbors & will do a better job of keeping such items out of reach. God bless you all - Sydni

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  17. Sharing this like crazy. It's not a product we've ever had a around, but now I know it's one I'm not going to until my kids are much older!

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  18. Thanks for sharing this! I have three young children & although I use the citronella candles - I WILL NOT USE THE OIL until my kids are older! I really appreciate you sharing your story... So glad your son survived!!! :)

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  19. This happened to us, too. Our son was three when he picked up a bottle of yellow citronella oil and gulped at least two gulps before I got to him. He immediately began gasping and it seemed like eternity before the medics arrived. To my horror, they did not know what to do! I don't know if it was their first case or if they just didn't see how bad he was because I was bear hugging him for dear life...anyway my friend was on the phone with poison control who sent us to the ER. We had them take us to a children's hospital which is one of the best decisions we ever made. They took such good care of him. He did vomit in the ambulance and he did get chemical pneumonia. It was a scary few days but he is now 11 and healthy as a horse. I know we were lucky. I know God was with us. Those bottles look just like apple or white grape juice to toddlers. Put them up!

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  20. Mom of twin boys who just turned four. The tears ran down my face reading this. I had never heard of this danger either. Thanks for sharing and so relieved this has a happy ending for you <3

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  21. Just to be clear the essential oil citronella is virtually harmless to humans over the age of two months. Babies can develop a sensitivity to it. This "fuel" she speaks of is kerosene mixed with citronella so that when burning it emits a scent that repel bugs. The pure essential oil of citronella is perfectly safe to put on your skin without a carrier oil and is not only a repellent for bugs but health benefits of Citronella Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties like anti bacterial, anti depressant, anti septic, anti spasmodic, anti inflammatory, deodorant, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, fungicidal, insect repellent, stomachic, stimulant, tonic and vermifuge. Over use can of course cause adult sensitivities. The reaction of this child was not so much to the citronella as it was to what was mixed with the "Fuel" which was probably kerosene.

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    1. Thanks for the clarification. I read the whole blog thinking cintronella was the poison - not realizing until reading the comments that it is the ffuel/oil (and any oil) that was the poison - and that citornella in other forms should be OK.
      I found this through my parenting message board under a heading of "citronella is toxic" ... so iI am finding this whole story to be very misleading.

      off to do my own research now...

      dana
      http://LilFamily.com

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    2. If used correctly Essential Oils are safe. BUT you have to be careful, small children under 2 can easily be poisoned by essential oils as they have a much smaller system that is much easier to over load. Oils like Citronella or Eucalyptus are always thought of as super safe and thus the most likely to accidentally poison a small child with.

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  22. Oh gosh, just reading this is giving me the chills. I think nothing in life compares to the heavy weight on your chest if your child is in that situation and you don't know how things are going to end. And I absolutely know about the world going by 'normally' while you are in a state of shock. We had different health issues (frequent croup & pneumonia and the first still 'visits'), but I just need to hear my almost 13 year old cough at night and terror runs through me again. I still go to bed making sure I have clothing to slip on and know where the car keys are.

    To everybody discussing citronella oil here, I have been doing aromatherapy for over two decades. I hope you all know that any citrus oil needs to be absolutely certified organic, as herbicides and pesticides are oil soluble, which make non organic citrus oils heavily concentrated with those. Won't give you chemical pneumonia, but it is definitely not healthy.

    If you think about it, there are all these precautions at the gas pump so that we don't inhale fuel fumes, but we use them freely all summer at bbqs and in torches...

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  23. I have never heard of this! Thank you for the info, I have some of these chemicals in my house and am now putting them up with the other dangerous chemicals!

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  24. Not long ago there was a news story of an elderly lady in her 90's who thought it was apple juice, drank it by mistake and died! It's no joke!

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  25. I am about to start baby-proofing my home for our 6 month old son, and I am so thankful I read this post. Thank you for sharing the account of what happened to your son, I am sure it is very difficult to write about/relive, but I am really appreciative of the warning you offer here.

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  26. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I had no idea it was so dangerous.
    Would you be ok with me sharing this on my blog?
    Thanks. Jenn

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    1. Of course - if our story helps another family then the more the word gets out the better. Thank you for helping me do so!

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  27. Thank you so much for sharing this to all of us who are in the dark. I am so glad your sweet boy is still here and smiling his face at you everyday!!!! <3

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  28. What a horrible story! Thank GOD that he is ok. Thanks for sharing your story. You likely saved another child from going through this ordeal.
    I have 3 awesome, beautiful little boys, too. We are so lucky, aren't we?

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    1. I couldn't have said it better myself :)

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  29. This is scary and I am glad he is OK however I have to say (not calling you out at all, just a general statement to people who seem amazed to find that citronella oil is dangerous)... how could anyone possibly think it is safe? That is why the lids on the containers you buy the oil in are child locked (where you need to press down & twist). It's a fuel ... like gasoline or oil or kerosene. And there is a warning on the label. Ingesting citronella oil is probably the same as sucking on gasoline.

    I wonder, chemically speaking, what caused the issues. My guess is it wasn't so much the fact that it was citronella oil per se but that it was oil / fuel itself. He probably ingested some of it when it tipped over (as you mentioned it was seen on the X-rays).

    Anyways, really glad he is OK, and it's a reminder to be ever viglient with the kids. I have several tiki torches in my backyard and on my deck and will certainly be more aware now than before so thanks for sharing your story. I'll probably keep it OFF the actual table though :)

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    1. Believe it or not the locks and warning lables are relatively new and the result of campaign efforts from the director of poison control at CHOP around the time of Matthew's accident. I never thought the oil was safe but my goal of this post is to bring attention to the accessibility of the oil to other parents' so that another family may avoid tragedy.

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  30. It is not simply the citronella it is the torch oil that caused the problem. If anyone, but especially small children, aspirates oil products and (especially petroleum based oils including baby oil) they will develop chemical pneumonia. And of course ingesting petroleum distillates is toxic. Doing a search around this I came across this brief article about infants ingesting tea made from a a variety of mint called Pennyroyal. (mentha pulegium) If you have small children DO NOT grow Pennyroyal! "Multiple organ failure after ingestion of pennyroyal oil from herbal tea in two infants." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8909490

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  31. Oh my gosh! I am so glad your little one is okay! Thanks for the great information! Its a great reminder of what lurks in our houses and we take for granted can be dangerous to our kids and animals.

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  32. Oh my goodness. I am so sorry this happened. So you know....olive oil (rancid is best) burns in all oil lamps and is completely safe of course. If you want a "scent" you can add pure therapeutic grade essential oils to the olive oil. Again...safe. We decided about 2 years ago to do away with all chemicals in the house. Cleaning supplies, soap, detergents, medicines...everything. We use 100% pure therapeutic grade essntial oils (Young Living and Heritage Essenial Oils) to clean our home as well as use them medicinally. If our children can't drink it we don't keep it. EOs have completely changed our lives. We are all happy and healthy. Praise God your baby is ok. Blessings!

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  33. This is so important, thanks for sharing!

    Reading your story is scary, it's almost copy-paste on what happened to my youngest son, two years ago. He was 15 months at the time, a very curious little boy, and probably thirsty since it was a very hot day. He drank from an oil lamp, probably mistaking it for a cup. After helicopter transport to a children's hospital, he received ECMO-treatment just in time to save his life. He made a full recovery, but I am not sure I ever will...

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  34. I have raised 6 children(5 boys) and I also have 5 grandchildren and have never heard of this before. We have had this oil in our home for years and I'm blessed to say that it's never happened to us. I cannot understand why its not talked about this time of year so that parents know these things. We know all about sunblocks and grills etc. This should be talked about every spring just like all the other dangerous things that spring and summer bring with it. Thanks so much for sharing this. I'll bet you have saved at least one life by sharing. :)

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  35. So sorry your family had to go through this, but i'm so glad that your little Angel survived this ordeal! I shared your story on Facebook, since i have friends with small children, and i hope this will help in your family's cause on this subject. Blessings to u and your family, and have a great Summer! :)

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  36. My daughter is in the hospital now with severe 3rd degree burns from a citronella candle. She blew it out and it caught her and her dad on fire because it exploded when she blew it out. They heard the explosion 2 blocks away. I wish he would have done research on these oil candles before he bought them, but no one ever thinks about that before things like this happen.

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    1. Maria - your daughter and husband are in my prayers. Like your husband we had no idea how dangerous they could be. I will continue to shout this from the rooftops to try and ensure that your story doesn't happen to another family. Please keep my posted on your daugther.

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  37. My name is lily a month ago my son got a hold of citronella oil and I wasn't a fortunate as you my son died a week later. He was 17 months and I didn't get a miracle I've been trying to find a way to cope with it and I don't know how with everyday is a worse pain.

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    1. Words cannot begin to describe how sorry I am. The pain you are enduring is unimagineable. I will keep your son in my thoughts each time I tell this story. My heart goes out to you and your family is in my prayers.

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  38. I just saw this on fb and will share. Both my husband myself started our careers as ER RN's, with him continuing in emergency medicine and myself moving on to trauma and then critical care and PACU. And I, the most cautious and proactive mother in the world, would have never even thought about the possibility of an oil lamp or torch tipping over and spilling on them. For those who insinuated that a parent may believe these items to be safe is either just ridiculous or hasn't raised kids. I have 3, ages 4 and under, and I have learned a few lessons the hard way, no matter how hypervigilant I have been. Like when our tempered glass patio table spontaneously shattered with our 4 year old simply resting his two elbows on the edge, sitting quietly. It was enough to throw him off balance and sent him teetering over the edge and had it not been for my husband's lightning quick reflexes, I have no doubt he would have fallen into a massive pile of glass. Some things are simply freak accidents. Others have already covered the dangers of oils, but any foreign body or substance that's is aspirated into the lungs has the potential to cause major problems and a form of aspiration pneumonia. it just so happens that with fuel, it has a vapor form, therefore if vomited, swallowed, or inhaled, the vapor will travel through the respiratory system and settle into the lungs, thus preventing them from functioning in a way that would allow the rest of the body to receive adequate oxygenation. So, it's not a matter of believing something to be safe, just not being able to identify every single potential risk to our children (even if we'd like to). There is a bottle of this fuel at my mom's house in the garage from 2 years ago, that has no safety cap at all. Thank you so much for sharing your story and bringing attention to something that should be shared with parents, just in the way that covering outlets, securing doors, securing areas with water, locking medicines and chemicals, etc., are shared by our peds and community resources. Wow, I still can't believe this huge danger is relatively unknown.

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  39. I went through the same thing with my youngest son, but it was Coleman camping fuel. He got out of sight for a moment and stuck a tent pole in the can and took a drink. He got the child proof lid off. He was two. He did throw up and he got chemical pneumonia. All of the rest of my story is very close to this one, except they took him by helicopter, didn't put him to sleep and wouldn't let me ride with him. He was terrified. They kept him in ICU watching for organ damage. He's going to be 31 in October and has two babies of his own now.

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  40. The Citronella Essential Oil is an effective mosquito repellent. It is formulated using a blend of essential oils. Scientifically, it is also known as Cymbopogon Winterianus oil. Organic Citronella Oil offered by SVA Organic, a leading supplier of Citronella Oil in India.

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