Cough and Cold Vapor Pads Recalled: How do we Monitor Our Kids?

The reason the WellPatch Cough & Cold Soothing Vapor Pads are being recalled is because kids (which are part of the target users) could remove the pads and chew on them. No serious accidents have happened yet, and the pads are not “unsafe” when used according to their directions. However, they aren’t intended for use on children as young as 2 years old!
The pads are supposed to be placed on the throat or chest and contain camphor, eucalyptus oil, and menthol. If used correctly, the vapor can reach the nose and mouth. The concern is that children will remove the pads, and young children may play with them by inserting them in their mouth. Because the pads are not intended for oral consumption, this can lead to side effects as serious as seisures!

Photography by JF Elias
This raises the question of how we monitor our kids when we apply topical medications, such as a vapor pad. When applied at night, we are probably not looking at our little ones every minute to see if they touch the medication and then suck their fingers, or worse, eat a vapor pad!

It is interesting that the pads are being recalled before anything serious has happened, it shows we live in a society where there is a constant fear of being sued in large companies. The pad works fine if used as directed, but just in case people (kids) misuse the product, they are actually taking it off the shelves.
We’re lucky in North America in that respect; in Europe for example companies would not as easily recall a working product, just in case. In some other countries on this planet even non working products are not recalled. So let’s count our blessings but also ask ourselves: are we doing a good enough job monitoring the possible risks involved with topical medication when it comes to our kids? And along the same lines, are we making sure our young kids are safe?