You Could be Increasing Your Risk of Catching on Fire by Using Skin Creams With Paraffin

You Could be Increasing Your Risk of Catching on Fire by Using Skin Creams With Paraffin

Here’s how your skin cream could be the most dangerous fire hazard in your home.

You may easily think of fire hazards in your home as being things like smoking in bed, cooking with a lot of oil, and using faulty appliances. Using beauty products and medical creams rarely comes to mind.

The truth is though, that what you put on your skin could be putting you in danger, should you be exposed to a flame.

Creams like sunscreens and bug repellents can be highly flammable. What people don’t think of is everyday creams that contain paraffin and other flammable ingredients, and how quickly they can ignite.

The BBC reports on how people wearing emollient creams on their skin have caught fire and died, after a spark from a cigarette blew off and ignited their clothing and skin.

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Manufacturers of these creams aren’t required to inform the consumer of the fire dangers they present, and so many people aren’t aware of the issue.

The trouble is, getting rid of the cream can be difficult. Even if you take a shower and wash it off, the stuff has most likely infiltrated your clothing and bedding, and it might not come out by throwing these items in the laundry, since the cream becomes embedded in the fabric.

What can you do to protect yourself? Always examine the ingredients in your skin cream, and talk to your doctor or naturopath about safer alternative treatments.

Photo credits: AndreyCherkasov/Bigstock

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