I wasn't sure where to post this so mods please fell free to move it.
I came across this on a nappy forum and felt compelled to share the information.
QUOTE:
To anyone who has not yet heard this story I am trying to spread the word as much as I can.
Last week my little boy was almost fatally poisoned by a supposedly non-toxic first aid gel ice pack. I had given it to him for a burn on his fingers. While I was attending to the baby he had bitten off the corner and eaten most of the gel inside (it tastes like sugar syrup) and then returned it to the freezer so I didn?t realize what he had done. By that evening he was critically ill. We took him by ambulance to John Hunter and they flew him to Sydney in the Westpac rescue helicopter where he was put on dialysis. If not for the tireless efforts of the staff at John Hunter, a very clever English doctor from Sydney and the chopper, we probably would have lost him. We still don?t know if he will have ongoing kidney or neurological problems. So many people have these ice-packs and there are no warnings on them. It is suspected that a toxic substance (antifreeze) was substituted for a more expensive non toxic substance in the manufacturing process. The plastic was easy for him to chew through and because of the sweetness he thought it was ?a lemonade ice-block?.
If you have these in your freezer please keep them away from your kids until authorities have determined which brands and batches are ok and which are not. I would hate to see anyone else go through what we have been through or worse, lose a child.
DD did the same thing with ours Thankfully I was there and able to stop her from eating the green stuff - I can't imagine it would taste too nice after 4 years in my freezer!!! We now use the ones with the fabric type cover (they're blue) which is much harder to chew through... or a good old pack of peas!
Oh gee! I hurt my leg on Saturday, and my DS1 put our hot/cold pack into the microwave to warm it for me... and when he returned it, I noticed it had a leak in it... thankfully I put it away from my DS2 because he would definitely have tried to eat it!
Thanks for posting this!
thanks for letting us know. i have one in the frezzzer and i honestly havent even given it a thought... i think when bub needs one ill be using a good ol iceblock or frozen peas.. the risk just inst worth it..
Apparently it isn't all ice packs and it isn't all blue ice packs. The one involved here contained a substance that is not supposed to be used here. The chemical that he ingested made the stuff taste sweet, which is why the poor little guy ate it!
I can't remember the exact name of it, but I'm sure a pharmacist should know (or try the dept of health or the hospital's website?).
Marc actually came up with a great idea to make your own. Zip lock bags in various sizes with some water in them. They work perfectly are non toxic and always on hand. And if we don't have any in the freezer we put ice cubes in zip lock bags for the same effect.
I was going to share an idea that I'd heard, which was similar to yours Cai, but you add Vodka to the water to keep it from fully freezing, so you have some flexibility to wrap around limbs...except that Vodka's not gonna be safe for kids to drink either is it. :P Ah well.
poor little guy; i really do hope that things go well for them!
instead of vodka, use m. spirits. Its actually one part spirits to ten parts water. When frozen it has the same jelly sort of texture and is one of the safer options to use. Add a couple of drops of food colouring to them and seal zip lock bag, place in second bag, seal and then freeze.
They work well in this house anyhow! Great for big and little kids!
Wow .... Mine isn't a ice pack its a block of really thick plastic.. think its similar to kimbaz's boo boo buddy... But im petrified of something like that happening! I don't even get teething rings with gel in them i just get the plastic fish ones by tommie teepee that are just all different surface areas cause i get scared thinking if they burst she'll get sick
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Warning to all Parents
Thankfully I was there and able to stop her from eating the green stuff - I can't imagine it would taste too nice after 4 years in my freezer!!! We now use the ones with the fabric type cover (they're blue) which is much harder to chew through... or a good old pack of peas!
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