Muscle cream caused NYC teen death

[Greg]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070609/ap_on_he_me/muscle_cream_death

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Muscle cream caused NYC teen's death Sat Jun 9, 7:07 PM ET

A medical examiner blamed a 17-year-old track star's death on the use of too much anti-inflammatory muscle cream, the kind used to soothe aching legs after exercise.

Arielle Newman, a cross-country runner at Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island, died after her body absorbed high levels of methyl salicylate, an anti-inflammatory found in sports creams such as Bengay and Icy Hot, the New York City medical examiner said Friday.

The medical examiner's spokeswoman, Ellen Borakove, said the teen used "topical medication to excess." She said it was the first time that her office had reported a death from using a sports cream.

In addition to spreading the muscle cream on her legs between track meets, Newman was using adhesive pads containing the anti-inflammatory, plus an unspecified third product containing the chemical, Borakove said. The products were used and the chemical absorbed over time, she said.

Newman, who garnered numerous track awards, died April 3. She had gone to a party the night before, then returned home and spent hours talking with her mother.

Methyl salicylate poisoning is unusual, and deaths from high levels of the chemical are rare.

"Chronic use is more dangerous than one-time use," Edward Arsura, chairman of medicine at Richmond University Medical Center, told the Staten Island Advance on Friday. "Exercise and heat can accentuate absorption."

Dr. Ronald Grelsamer, of Mount Sinai Medical Center, said Newman had a very abnormal amount of methyl salicylate in her body.

"She either lathered herself with it, or used way too much, or she used a normal amount and an abnormal perceneforum.xxxe was absorbed into her body," he said.

Her mother, Alice Newman, said she still couldn't believe her daughter's death was caused by a sports cream.

"I am scrupulous about my children's health," she told the Advance. "I did not think an over-the-counter product could be unsafe."

Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Bengay, expressed sympathy for the family and reminded consumers about "the importance of reading the label on this and all over-the-counter medicines to ensure safe and proper use," in a statement released Saturday.

The label on Ultra Strength Bengay says the product should be applied no more than three or four times daily and consumers should stop and see a doctor if the condition worsens or symptoms persist for more than a week, spokeswoman Meghan Marschall said.

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

 

[Allexis]

Wow.. I would have never thought you could die from excess use of that.

But it makes me wonder. If we used creams/lotions with this ingredient in it, every single day on almost all our clients. Wouldn't we be at risk?
We are applying with our bare hands.

Regardless from now on if I am to apply anything to someone (sports cream) I will be using gloves.

 

[Marc C]

Regardless from now on if I am to apply anything to someone (sports cream) I will be using gloves.

Considering how rare this is (the medical examiners office said it was their 1st time seeing it) I really doubt we are in any danger. Also, not all analgesics contain methyl salicylate. I use Biofreeze on myself on a daily basis and have never had any problems but then again it doesn't contain methyl salicylate. I also don't "slather" my body with it and only use it for spot treatment and this is also the way I use it with my clients....spot treatment only.

Angie

 

[Lloyd J]

I've been using Sombra on myself and like it well enough to try on clients. It doesn't contain methyl salicylate either.

This is a horrible tragedy for the girl's family, but the mom's comment about never thinking an OTC product could be unsafe? :shock:

sji

 

[2DIGNI5]

I've been using Sombra on myself and like it well enough to try on clients. It doesn't contain methyl salicylate either.

This is a horrible tragedy for the girl's family, but the mom's comment about never thinking an OTC product could be unsafe? :shock:

sji

It is amazing how many people don't think any OTC product could be unsafe. I hear that all the time.

I never, ever would have worried about overdosing on those particular products, though. I had seen this article and it is really sad. I only work with Biofreeze or Sombra, too, and not often, but it does make me stop and think.

 

[Stef Elke]

I am so, so sorry for Arielle and her family.

 

[Differenttrash]

It has to be a combination of things...perhaps an overuse, a sensitivity, or allergic reaction coupled with dehydration and low electrolytes. durn shame, for sure.

 

[Pompal 09.]

It has to be a combination of things...perhaps an overuse, a sensitivity, or allergic reaction coupled with dehydration and low electrolytes. durn shame, for sure.

I would think! Funny how they ruled it was just the "overdose", without an explanation of how it happened. Maybe I'm too much a CSI/Crossing Jordon junkie, but there HAS to be more to that story!

 

[tammy b]

Methyl Salicylate is also known as oil of wintergreen. Thus even some popular essential oil blends have been known to contain it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_salicylate

 

[its a girls world :)]

Methyl Salicylate is also known as oil of wintergreen. Thus even some popular essential oil blends have been known to contain it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_salicylate

How do they make wintergreen candies? Don't they use the oil? :shock: I'd better hang onto my peppermint addiction and not branch over to wintergreen!

 

[Glow]

I'm from the school of thought that believes that too much of anything can be bad for you...even if it is a good thing. Nothing is to be used to excess, or it can turn on you. There has to be a balance.

I feel so sorry for this poor girl and her family. Knowledge is definitely power, and what you don't know can and will hurt you.

 

[LoveAlways]

Here is my other thing with it....slightly different note.. When I worked at a PT clinic the only thing used was Biofreeze so all day i was massaging people with just that. After awhile my fingers and palms started turning green and yes I washed my hands after every single patient. So if it was doing enough to stain my hands: it to me, could possibly do more with repeated use.

(I actually switched to Sombra after that.)

 

[Atmey]

the only thing used was Biofreeze so all day i was massaging people with just that.

They had you massaging with Biofreeze?!? Yuck! I only use it at the end of the treatment. It's gel form gets "tacky" feeling and globs up when you try to rub with it for more than a minute or so.

I love Biofreeze but would never use it to massage with. I don't think I would want to massage with Sombra either though. To me, these types of things are meant for spot work, not to massage an entire body or even section of a body with.

Angie

 

[Drea]

Muscle Cream

This announcement on the death of a teen from a mucle cream certainly gained my attention. To me, it appears it was a result of the combination of chemicals she was using. I would never recommend that you use a patch on-top of an ointment already applied, especially if it releases over a period of time. Perhaps this will also serve as an education to the populace to start reading the labels more carefully. This might also jump-start the FDA on educating our populace on the nasty ingredients being used in skin care products, which is being done in the UK and has already had an impact on the UK populace. This was certainly an eye-opener, and it's unfortunate that it takes a tragedy like this to start causing some reaction from some of the governing bodies like the FDA.

Sombraman