Piping Rock Wintergreen Essential Oil Recalled Over Poisoning Risk

The CPSC recently announced that Piping Rock Wintergreen Essential Oil is being recalled due to concerns that children could poison themselves if they swallow the oil.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the essential oil bottles are not child resistant, meaning that kids can open the bottles and are at risk of poisoning themselves if they ingest the contents.

The CPSC states that the Piping Rock packaging violates the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA). The PPPA was enacted in 1970 and requires household substances to be packaged in child resistant ways in order to prevent poisoning.

In order for packaging to be child resistant, the CPSC requires that it “must be designed or constructed to be significantly difficult for children under five years of age to open within a reasonable time, and not difficult for normal adults to use properly.”

According to Healthline, wintergreen can be toxic and even fatal if swallowed due to the essential oil’s active ingredient: Methyl salicylate. A single teaspoon of methyl salicylate is reportedly equal to around 90 baby aspirins. The toxic active ingredient can be poisonous when swallowed or applied directly to the skin without a carrier oil.

Signs of poisoning may include nausea, vomiting, rapid breathing, sweating, ringing in the ears, muscle spasms/twitching, convulsions, coma, and even death.

The affected Piping Rock Wintergreen Essential Oil is sold in a half ounce amber glass dropper bottle. The bottles have a black cap and a yellow, green, and red label on the front. Identifying information for the product includes:

• Product number: NT6446
• UPC code: 610256764467
• Lot Numbers: 1905, 4000, 5980, 7420, 9344, 11202, 27180, 31397, 37913, 43369, 45843, 56439

The product’s identifying information is printed on the back of the product.

The recall affects around 18,600 items that were sold for around $5 between March 2013 and June 2019 at the Piping Rock Vitamin Factory Outlet store or online on Amazon.com and PipingRock.com.

The CPSC recommends that consumers immediately place the recalled item out of reach of children and contact the manufacturer for a full refund.

Although no incidents or accidents have been reported to the CPSC, the regulator recommends that consumers use caution in order to prevent poisoning.

Consumers who purchased Piping Rock Wintergreen Essential Oil are eligible to receive a refund from Piping Rock. The company will reportedly be reaching out to known purchasers.

Customers can call Piping Rock at 800-544-1925 from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. ET Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Sunday or email the company at customerservice@pipingrock.com.

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