The warning all parents should read: How common household essential oils can poison children and cause dangerous chemical burns
- Kidsafe NSW has released a warning about using essential oils and diffusers
- While they are perfectly safe for adults to use, they can easily poison a child
- Less than a teaspoon of the oil solutions can see them left with chemical burns
- It's best to avoid using diffusers and vaporisers like this when you have a toddler
Kidsafe NSW has issued a warning about using essential oils and diffusers around young children because ingesting the fluids can cause 'serious poisoning'.
The announcement was shared on the child safety group's official Instagram page, with the caption stating that less than a teaspoon of oil or vaporiser fluids can cause major harm.
Essential oils are extracted from plants. These oils can have some of the properties of plants, including the scent, and can be used in aromatherapy treatments or to make perfumes.
According to experts working at NSW Property Identification Codes, not much is known about the 'safety' of these products when consumed.
Kidsafe NSW has issued a warning about using essential oils and diffusers around young children because ingesting the fluids can cause 'serious poisoning'
'While some sellers make claims about the health benefits of ingesting the oils or rubbing them directly onto skin, NSW PIC does not recommend consuming essential oils,' Kidsafe said.
You can also be poisoned by exposing certain oils to the skin - resulting in burns and irritation - or inhaling them, which will sometimes affect your breathing.
Australian paediatric doctor Dr Nelu Simonsz shares Kidsafe's concerns about essential oils, writing in 2018 that they are an 'unknown danger' around the house.
'Hopefully parents and childcare workers know that locking up cleaning products and medications away from curious little hands can be life-saving but did you also know that an unknown danger is essential oils,' Dr Nelu said at the time.
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'While some sellers make claims about the health benefits of ingesting the oils or rubbing them directly onto skin, NSW PIC does not recommend consuming essential oils,' Kidsafe said (stock image)
Australian paediatric doctor Dr Nelu Simonsz (pictured) shares Kidsafe's concerns about essential oils, writing in 2018 that they are an 'unknown danger' around the house
'Yes the seemingly harmless rosemary oil and eucalyptus oil can be very harmful to children if swallowed.'
Dr Nelu said essential oils can cause anything from 'severe vomiting to drowsiness to changes in the heart's electrical activity to chemical burns to seizures'.
'After a recent admission of an infant who was fed some oil by their cheeky older sibling it's a good reminder that people may not aware of how lethal these oils can be,' she said.
Dr Nelu said parents should adopt a few tactics to ensure their children aren't exposed to any dangerous oils.
'Try to buy bottles with a child safe lid where possible,' she told FEMAIL.
'Some kids are too clever for this so make sure all cleaning products, essential oils, medications, sprays and basically anything that could be dangerous if swallowed, are kept in high places or a cupboard that can't be accessed by kids with childproof locks on them.'
Dr Nelu said parents should adopt a few tactics to ensure their children aren't exposed to any dangerous essential oils
'If you are using these products, make sure either the kids aren't around or you don't put the product down with your back to the child (it doesn't take long for them to pick it up and put it in their mouth).
'Don't forget the poisons hotline has a wealth of information if you are worried about ingestion of any potentially harmful products.'
According to the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, common essential oils to be aware of include lavender, tea tree, nutmeg, sage, peppermint, wintergreen, fennel, geranium, lemon myrtle, thuja, woodworm and clove.
'Toxicity can occur from the essential oil itself along with the hydrocarbons or emulsifiers added to many of the preparations,' the site read.
Eucalyptus oil is one of the worst essential oils for a child to ingest, with the RCH stating even small ingestions of the pure oil can lead to severe symptoms.
Tachycardia and Hypotension have been reported, as well as depression and apnoea, bronchospasm or signs of aspiration pneumonitis.
If your child has been exposed to something and you are concerned about poisoning, call the Poisons Centre on 13 11 26 immediately. Take the product with you to the phone (or a photo of it) so you have all the product details.
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