Posted on 06/08/2007 1:38:21 PM PDT by AmericanMade1776
A budding teenage athlete has died after 'overdosing' on a common topical muscle cream.
The medical examiner announced on Thursday that the 17-year-old track star, Arielle Newman of Castleton Corners, N.Y., died from a toxic dose of sports cream, the Staten Island Advance reported.
Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's officer told the Advance that the Notre Dame Academy track star's blood contained lethal amounts of methyl salicylate, the active ingredient found in muscle rubs such as BenGay and Icy Hot.
Borakove said the petite girl used the topical medication excessively, allowing the poisons to accumulate in her body over an undetermined amount of time.
Newman was found dead in her home on April 3. The initial autopsy was inconclusive, which led to speculation her death was linked to a party she had attended the night before. "I am glad this shows (Arielle) didn't die of her own doing. But this is a tragedy that could have been avoided," her mother, Alice Newman told the Advance.
Methyl salicylate, also known as oil of wintergreen, can be toxic if overused, but deaths from topical application are extremely rare.
Borakove said this was the first case she had come across in 20 years at the medical examiner's office.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
So will this one get nominated for a Darwin award?
I did the same thing. You sweat is what happens. It gets hot all over again and sometimes it spreads to, ah, mucus membranes where it sort of really hurts.
Speaking of homosexual Israelis, a gay Israeli boy phones home, and tells his momma that he wants to go back into the closet. The reason being that he has met a wonderful girl and they are to be married.
He adds that he knows this will come as a huge relief to her, as his gay lifestyle had been a source of much distress for her.
Of course Momma is over the moon, and wants to start making wedding plans immediately!
Then after a pause, she ventures “I suppose it’s too much to hope that the girl is also Jewish?”
He replies, “yes Momma, she is Jewish, and what’s more, is from a very wealthy and respectable Beverly Hills family.”
Momma is beside herself! “And what is the name of this wonderful girl?”
And the son replies,
“Monica Lewinsky”.
There is a looooong pause. Then Momma asks,
“Whatever happened to that nice black boy you were dating last year?”
“Ben Gay is a homosexual Israeli.”
And, he’s not actually an Israeli, he’s a Heblew.
Those are given to those who perform a service by removing themselves. In this case I don’t think the world is made a richer place by her absence.
Old people’s body cream. LOL. I use it all the time.
Hmmmm....no word on where, how much, or with what, the fatal dose(s) were applied.
Suspiciously sounds like an internal use...
ping
LOL!
Huh? If she applied the cream and died from its affect, then she died of her own doing. Unwittingly perhaps, but from her own doing.
Thank you. I was going to point out the same thing.
I feel bad for the kid and her mother.
Toxic dose of BenGay killed track star
Topical pain relievers killed track teen, mom says
Medical Examiner's report: NDA track star died from rare toxic Overdose
Pain cream overdose killed track star
“I thought Ben Gay was that guy who drove a chariot and wore pink tights.”
You are thinking about Ben her’s brother, Ben Him.
I never realized that much salicylate could be absorbed through the skin. What a tragic story.
Methyl salicylate, also known as oil of wintergreen, can be toxic if overused, but deaths from topical application are extremely rare. Borakove said this was the first case she had come across in 20 years at the medical examiner's office.All essential oils are poisonous, but some are much more so than others; meanwhile some are useful and used for various things (such as ointments, breath mints, flavorings, air fresheners, mosquito repellents, etc).
Topical salicylates like Ben Gay have a very good safety profile. This young woman suffered a perfect storm leading to salicylate intoxication. Take home message is that over the counter medication is still medication and there is always the possibility of untoward effect. A very tragic loss and my prayers and condolences to her family.
When my daughter was 2 or 3 years old, she got to the little bit of Vicks (or some other brand) that we put in a little tray in her vaporizer made for that purpose. It was mostly evaporated, but it had methyl salicylate in it and when we called the poison control people they said to take her to the ER. At the ER we said that she’d ingested a tiny amount (just what she could have got on her fingers) of the stuff and they freaked and forced her to drink activated liquid charcoal. It must be pretty poisonous if both poison control and the ER acted like that.
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