Ingestion of medicated oils by adults: the risk of severe salicylate poisoning is related to the packaging of these products

Abstract

Ingestion of medicated oils containing methyl salicylate poses the threat of severe, rapid-onset salicylate poisoning. In this retrospective study of 24 adults who had ingested 'White Flower Oil' (n=18) or 'Red Flower Oil' (n=6), the main objective was to determine if the risk of severe salicylate poisoning was related to the product packaging. 'Red Flower Oil' had a large bottle opening so that its content could be emptied much more easily. It also had a larger bottle size and usually had a higher methyl salicylate concentration than 'White Flower Oil'. Patients tended to ingest a greater amount of 'Red Flower Oil' than 'White Flower Oil'. Five per cent of subjects who had taken 'White Flower Oil', but 67% of subjects who had taken 'Red Flower Oil', had admission plasma salicylate level >2.2 mmol/L (P=0.006). None of the subjects who had ingested 'White Flower Oil', but 50% of subjects who had taken 'Red Flower Oil', had moderate to severe symptoms (P=0.010). As a result, none of the subjects who had ingested 'White Flower Oil', but 33% of subjects who had taken 'Red Flower Oil', required urine alkalinization (P=0.054). One patient who had taken 'Red Flower Oil' died because of hospital-acquired pneumonia. All other patients made a complete recovery. To reduce the amount of methyl salicylate that can be readily swallowed during accidental or deliberate ingestion of medicated oils, improvements are needed in the existing packaging of these products.