Woman Suffered Chemical Burns Vapor From Essential Oil Diffuser

Woman Suffered Chemical Burns After Coming Into Direct Contact With Vapor From Essential Oil Diffuser

https://thecoverage.my/horror/woman-suffered-chemical-burns-after-coming-into-direct-contact-with-vapor-from-essential-oil-diffuser/

Essential oil diffuser has become very much vogue in the past couple of years and I’m sure many of us have seen articles online promoting the diffusers as a necessity in the home for relaxation, meditation and has ‘healing properties’. What we’ve heard of is only the tip of the iceberg. of course, the essential oil diffusers work well for purifying the air you breathe in, enhancing the mood in the room and is said to reduce a number of bacteria and fungus in the room that may potentially trigger health issues. More often than not, we do not read the manual book/guide when we buy a new appliance. We only start looking at the contents of the manual when something is wrong, right?

Do not confuse an essential oil diffuser with a humidifier, as humidifiers are meant to maintain the level of moisture in the room without essential oils, it is also used to relieve sinus problems, sore throats, dry cough, and dry skin. Humidifiers also provide relief for those suffering from asthma, allergies, and it helps reduce snoring!

Emily Smith from London has shared her experience with a diffuser on Facebook to warn netizens of its risks in owning one at home. Many people may not believe it, but things are possible, read until the end to fully understand the risk of having an essential oil diffuser at home.

Emily’s fiancé was involved in an accident ten weeks ago and nearly broke all the bones in his body, so she has been caring for him full time in his sick bed and wheelchair while juggling between work.

She wrote in her post,

“On Saturday (November 4) evening, a popular electric diffuser we had purchased was scenting out home with a mix of patchouli oil and others. It was bonfire night and as we are unable to leave the house, we had a cozy fire lit in our living room whilst we watched a film.

“I walked over to the diffuser and held the button down for a number of seconds (as this is the way to shut it off). In the process of turning the appliance off, some of the vapor from the diffuser must have sprayed onto my face.

“But I didn’t think anything of this. Whilst I was somewhat aware of the danger of getting essential oils directly on my skin, I was unaware that the vaporized ‘diluted’ oil from my diffuser could also be dangerous.”

A few hours later, Emily noticed that the fire was waning, so she got up and put a log on it immediately, she then felt a stinging sensation on her face, but she brushed the thought off as her body never came into direct contact with the flames and she also did not thing about the dangers of the oils her skin had come into contact with.

After feeling the burning sensation increase, she ran her face under a tap for ten minutes then soaked it in cold water for twenty minutes while she rang 111 for medical guidance.

According to the operator, Emily only suffered first degree burns and “professional medical attention would not be necessary. First degree burns are treated at home, with cold water and aloe vera or Vaseline.” She did as she was told and went to bed.

Roughly around 3 am, Emily was awoken with intense pain in her face and eyes. When she looked into the bathroom mirror, she was shocked to see her bloodshot eyes that are misted due to tears and an inflamed face, but nothing too awful. She proceeded to apply more aloe vera, took painkillers and went back to bed, thinking of the pain as a similar sensation to cooking burns in the past.

The following morning, she decided to call 111 again when she couldn’t recognize herself in the mirror. Her eyes were blurred and it continued watering, as for her skin was pus-y.

By the time she spoke to the health advisers, she discovered that her skin condition had worsed and she was told to head to the emergency room.

“I was received at Brighton Accident & Emergency, where I waited for a couple of hours before being referred to East Grinstead Hospital, where they have a burns department.

” I waited there for another few hours, before being seen by a nurse, who peeled off my blisters and my skin. I then waited another hour to be seen by the burns staff.

“After my burns were assessed and treated, a chemical burn was diagnosed, and I was sent back to Brighton to be seen at the Eye A&E as the burn doctors were worried that my eyes were chemically damaged. “

The entire process took over 12 hours and in that time, Emily was able to do some reflection and self-research. She recalled the diffuser spraying on her face and linked it to what had happened.

She discovered that when the diffuser had sprayed onto her, the essential oils had soaked onto her face and eyes and remained there.

“When exposed to the fire, these had a chemical reaction and ‘ignited’. Had I realized this earlier, I might have been given priority at the hospital and treated faster.

“When I followed the instructions given by medical professionals and ran my burns under the tap, I was not removing the oil. Oil does not just ‘wash’ off. When I soaked my face in a bowl of water, I was not really relieving my burn. I was marinating my face in the cause of my troubles.”

This is scary because people of all ages, ethnicity, race, and religion may potentially own one or two maybe even three of these diffusers at home! Since it is so popular these days, it’s hard to find homes without it. What if someone smoked a cigarette and ignited a fire when coming in contact with the oil vapor?

Because these essential oils can be combustible, poisonous, corrosive and flammable.

“They are oils in every sense of the word, and not just the scents that they are marketed to be. I’ve found articles about people burning to death from contact with them, and fires caused by them. Even without a fire source, essential oils can spontaneously combust…”

In the past month, Emily just turned 24 and got engaged. But now, her face and eyes are chemically burned. She added,

“I’m extremely fortunate to have my sight at all, and lucky that the burn wasn’t worse, but I suffered permanent eye damage and am potentially facially scarred for life.

“A life changing incident, that was preventable.”

Now that Emily has pointed out the risk of having essential oil vapor seep into your skin, it is entirely up to you if you still choose to use your diffuser at home, but use it with care, okay!

You can also opt for a humidifier too, but the decision is in your hands. As Emily also said, we only want to spread awareness and not decide everything for you. Because you know yourself better than anyone, and you know what’s best for you. So make the wisest decision! 

We hope that Emily will be able to find a holistic cure for her eyesight and restore her beautiful skin. We pray for your speedy recovery.