9-year-old sent to hospital after drinking 'Unicorn Milk' e-cigarette fluid

A nine-year-old girl in Fredericton was taken to hospital Monday after drinking an e-cigarettefluid called Unicorn Milk she found on her school's playground.

The Grade 5 student at coledesBtisseursand her friends all tasted drops from a vial of theconcentrated nicotine, which is used for electronic vaping of cigarettes, said her mother, Lea L'Hoir.

The children were tempted to try the strawberry-flavoured fluidbecause it smelled good, and abrightly coloured unicorn decorated thecontainer,L'Hoirtold CBC News.

"They decided to taste it and after that, my daughter wasn't feeling too good," she said, adding her daughter also put some of the liquid on her hand.

Nicotine poisoning

Mother "horrified" after child consumes vapour fluid found on school grounds

7 years ago

Duration 0:54

A student in Fredericton was sent to hospital after drinking a bottle of vapour fluid concealed as Unicorn Milk.

L'Hoir said the school contacted her after the children brought the bottle to their teacher, who then notified the school's director.

When her daughter started complaining about nausea, chest cramps and dizziness, L'Hoir picked her up and brought her home.

At first, she thought ingesting the liquid would have been similar to eating a small piece of a cigarette, she said.

But then she Googled the effects of ingesting concentrated nicotine and called 811, the number for Tele-CareNew Brunswick.

If ingested in too great amounts, concentrated nicotine can kill you, L'Hoir said.

She took her daughter to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with nicotine poisoning and released later that night.

"I didn't sleep, I didn't sleep last night," L'Hoir said. "I was completely horrified that she could have passed away, maybe if she had taken, you know, more of the bottle."

Her daughter felt better Tuesday, but L'Hoirsaid she wanted other parents to know about the experience. They need to be warned that their children, too, might be tempted bya sweet-smelling liquid in a bottle imprinted with a unicorn.

L'Hoir said she wasshocked to see the Unicorn Milk container did not mention anything about the liquid's actual use, and information about its ingredients was in small print, she said. There was, however,a small poison symbol on the side of the vial.

Candy-theme popular

Vape shop owner doesn't believe product marketed to children

7 years ago

Duration 0:56

A student in Fredericton was sent to hospital after drinking a bottle of vapour fluid concealed as Unicorn Milk.

TrevorBostick, who owns New BeginningsVapeStudio in Fredericton, which also manufactures Unicorn Milk,said the companywill consider changing the label in light of what happened.

He said the product was never designed to attract the attention of children. There are many older people who find candy-themed products appealing, Bostick said.

"We put a lot of thought into it," he said. "If we have to pull that because people decide that it is a draw for kids, then we'll pull it."

He said the Unicorn Milk label waslaunched twoweeks ago in response to a popular, rainbow-coloured drink now sold at the Starbucks Coffee chain.

The vapour fluid has been a hit, Bostick said, and the company is getting calls from all over to supply it to shops in Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and P.E.I.

He added his company supports stricter government guidelines on labelling and vapour-fluid production.

Legislation needed

Anthony Knight, CEO of the New Brunswick Medical Society, saidit's troubling thate-vapingproducts might be designed and marketed to appeal to young people.

"That speaks to a need for tougher regulation and tougher oversight around how these products are marketed and that oversight rests with government," he said.

"In cases like this where there are risks to the public and unknown risks to the health of individuals then steps need to be taken."

Health Canada doesn't regulate the labelling of vape products yet, but steps were taken to ban the sale ofthese products to peopleunder 18, he said. There are also restrictions aboutvapingin public places, similar to other tobacco products.

A federal bill that would regulate the manufacture, sale and labelling ofvaping products awaits approval in the Senate. The legislation would new restrict certain flavours that appeal to youth and insist on child-resistant packaging to help protect children from nicotine poisoning.

Could happen again, mom says

L'Hoiralso called for a tough labelling law.

She said the doctor at the hospital was upset that nine-year-olds would taste something they found on the ground,L'Hoir says it could easily to happen again.

When she showed the Unicorn Milk bottle to her colleagues, their reaction was similar to her daughter's.

"They say 'What is it, is it a candy, is it good?'

"We shouldn't allow a product like that to have this type of attractive drawing. Maybe the smell is OK,but the drawing is not correct."

A 9-year-old in Fredericton was taken to hospital on Monday after drinking vapour fluid.

7 years ago

Duration 0:36

A 9-year-old in Fredericton was taken to hospital on Monday after drinking vapour fluid.