Vicks VapoRub Warning for Toddlers

Vicks VapoRub, a “topical cough medicine with medicated vapors that works quickly to relieve your cough,” according to the Vicks website, has been around since the early 1900s. However, it may be responsible for the severe respiratory distress experienced by one 18-month old girl after the ointment was applied under her nose to clear nasal passages. The toddler was treated at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which also treated respiratory problems in three other young children that may have also been caused by the ointment. Researchers at the University conducted a study, which was published in CHEST, using ferrets to figure out if and why the VapoRub caused inflammation and respiratory distress in these young children. The researchers reported that the ointment lowered the ability to clear mucus by 36 percent and increased the production of mucus by 59 percent, resulting in inflammation and constriction of the airways of children under age 2.

A spokesperson for Proctor & Gamble, the parent company of Vicks, made a statement in response to the study and reported respiratory cases, saying that Vicks VapoRub is a safe product when used as directed. He also stated that the link between the hospitalizations and the ointment have not been confirmed. As for the VapoRub label, the directions instruct users to apply the ointment to the chest and throat to relieve cough, or to muscles and joints to relieve pain. However, the label warns consumers not to use the product in the nostrils or mouth and states that Vicks VapoRub is not intended for children younger than two. If a manufacturer fails to properly warn consumers of injuries their product may cause, they may be liable for those injuries. If you or a loved one has been harmed by a defective product, contact the product liability attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C., serving clients in Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk County. We also serve clients located in Staten Island and Westchester County.

Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net