People... think, ok?

A 17 year old girl in New York died of methyl salicylate poisoning. Methyl salicylate is an anti-inflammatory agent found in sports creams like Bengay.

She used too damn much sports cream and died.

This CNN article quotes her mother as having said "I am scrupulous about my children's health. I did not think an over-the-counter product could be unsafe."

Now, I'm sure she is in shock and all, but hello? Too much cough syrup will kill you. Too much Tylenol will damage your liver. That's why they have dosage instructions on the bottles.

"Over-the-counter" doesn't mean "safe no matter what."

It's like when people say they prefer to use echinacea and other herbs instead of cold medicine because echinacea is natural. You know what else is natural? Arsenic.

Natural doesn't mean safe, either.

That is not obvious to more people bums me out.

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