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The Poison Post®
Surprises... and Cautions... in the Kitchen
Read the free full-text Poison Post® article online
Is it true that... Enough vanilla extract can make you drunk?
Poppy seeds contain opium?
A lot of nutmeg is like a little PCP?
Oil of wintergreen can cause an aspirin overdose?
All of these statements are true, though none of these ingredients is
dangerous when used as recommended. As the holiday season winds down, read more about which items in the kitchen cabinet may pose poisoning hazards when used in excess.
Vanilla extract contains ethanol, the same type of alcohol found in beer, wine, and hard liquor (and other types of flavoring extract, perfume, cologne, aftershave, and mouthwash, too). The amount of extract called for in recipes would not be dangerous. But a child who swallowed the contents of a bottle might be at risk of alcohol poisoning. Keep flavoring extracts out of reach, along with other alcohol-containing liquids.
The poppy seeds we bake with or eat on bagels could, in fact, cause a positive drug screen for opiates. When people eat poppy seeds, a drug test could be positive for morphine or codeine, which are metabolites (break-down products) of heroin. BUT - this generally happens only if people eat a lot of poppy seeds - more than one poppy seed bagel, for example, a short time before the test. Drinking poppy seed tea has actually caused poisoning and is NOT recommended!
Nutmeg tastes great in cookies and eggnog, but too much can cause hallucinations. Children who get into the container, and people who deliberately swallow a lot of nutmeg trying to get high, can become miserably sick. Nausea, vomiting, agitation, prolonged drowsiness, and coma are all possible. Keep the nutmeg, and its relative, mace, out of the reach of children.
Oil of wintergreen is another name for methyl salicylate, a relative of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Small amounts are safe to use as flavoring agents, but the bottle MUST be locked up, where children can't get to it. Small amounts of oil of wintergreen, like small amounts of aspirin, can poison children. Because oil of wintergreen is rapidly absorbed, children can become dangerously ill very quickly.
It's important to keep safety in mind even when using ordinary kitchen ingredients. Use only recommended amounts in recipes. Lock up ingredients that might be harmful if children swallow too much. And, as always, call the Poison Center right away if you suspect that someone has swallowed too much of anything. Even though you're baking or partying, the experts at the Poison Center are there to answer your phone call and help you through any poison emergency.
Call 1-800-222-1222 - 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
The Poison Post, National Capital Poison Center eNewsletter – www.poison.org
Copyright 2010, National Capital Poison Center. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe to the free eNewsletter, The Poison Post®
Autoappendectomy in the Antarctic
Russian surgeon Leonid Rogozov's self-operation, undertaken without any other medical professional around, was a testament to determination and the will to live. In 1961, after 36 days at sea, a Soviet Antarctic expedition decanted onto the ice shelf on the Princess Astrid Coast to build a new polar base. Winter descended, bringing months of darkness, snowstorms, and extreme frosts. Contact with the outside world was no longer possible. The surgeon fell ill with weakness, malaise, nausea, and pain in the upper abdomen, which shifted to the right lower quadrant. His body temperature rose. He had no difficulty diagnosing acute appendicitis. As the only physician on the polar base, he led his co-workers to support him as he performed a self-appendectomy.
Read the British Medical Journal case report.
FDA Drug Alerts: Meridia (sibutramine), valproate drugs, Norpramin (desipramine), Lexiva (fosamprenavir), Voltaren Gel.
Injectable Drugs: H1N1 Vaccine Safety, Heparin, Ketorolac, Local Anesthetics, Iron, Propofol and Liposyn, Genzyme Products.
Medical Devices: CT Brain Perfusion Scans, ViperSheath and CROSSOVER sheath Introducers; CardioVations EndoClamp Aortic Catheter; External Biphasic Defibrillators; Medtronic Intrathecal Catheter, Negative Pressure Wound system; Stryker Surgical Navigation; Premie Pack and Meconium Pack; Accusure Insulin Syringes.
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