Lice Shampoo – a severe warning to parents!
I was completely shocked when I just read this report in the local paper while having my lunch today:
Lachlan suddenly started coming out in bruises all over his body.
Blood tests revealed that all his blood counts were low – platelets, haemoglobin and white cells – Lachlan’s bone marrow was in the process of shutting down, and a transplant was his only hope.
“The products in South Africa contain no warnings on the packaging, and in fact recommend repeated treatment if the head lice are not completely cleared.
“Most parents are not aware that Gambex is actually a pesticide.”
Lice shampoos containing the chemical gamma benzene hexachloride on sale in South Africa are Gambex® and Quellada®; in most other countries it goes by the brand Lindane® or Kwell®.
- source IOL
A serious warning to anyone with children who are prone to contracting or may be in contact with other children at creche/school that may be infected with lice. We’ve used these products in the past and will definitely NOT be using them (or any other lice-shampoo product) in future. Washing the kids hair with vinegar and then combing out the lice and eggs with a fine-tooth comb will work just as effectively and will be completely harmless to the children.
Tuesday, 28 October 2008 at 23:58
health and safety rocks! vinegar rocks! (it just smells a bit, like when you boil it in your kettle to de-limescale it, and then your coffee has an interesting taste for a bit)
yes, they are obsessive over here with health and safety, but it makes sense. (esp for a potential to avoid liability charges)
i always thought that peeps use medicine and medical products way too quickly without any thought about consequences. i mean lice shampoo kills lice – that means that there is something in that bottle that is very strong!
lastly, i think that SAeans are not yet au fait with their rights sometimes … such as knowing what goes into stuff.
Wednesday, 29 October 2008 at 08:56
@S – it’s criminal – if it contains a pesticide, it’s harmful to humans – then why produce such a product in the first place! Like doctors who prescribe you a certain medication but need to take regular blood-samples to test that your kidney’s are still functioning because a known side-effect of the drug causes kidney failure – WTF!?
Sunday, 16 November 2008 at 14:41
was this you: http://www.capetimes.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20081115093219754C816528
Sunday, 16 November 2008 at 20:34
@S – It wasn’t but I’m just as concerned about the issue as other parents since we’ve used it on our kids – thankfully they’ve not exhibited any of the symptoms any of the other kids that have used Gambex products.
Friday, 20 February 2009 at 08:55
Washed my child’s hair with this stuff did not know it was dangerous. Nothing happened, but will never use it again!!
Friday, 20 February 2009 at 08:58
@Samantha – neither to our kids, but I’m not willing to take the chance.