Quebec Coroner Warns Of Serious Risks Associated With Use Of Cotton Swabs
Posted February 6, 2008 12:00 pm.
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Maybe it was it your mother or father, maybe it was a former coach or maybe even an old boss, but odds are somewhere along the line, someone probably told you to “clean out your ears.”
Of course getting some of that wax out of the way can make you feel and look much better, but according to at least one man, those cotton swabs are actually doing a lot more harm than good. That from a Quebec coroner, who says the sticks with fuzzy ends can actually pose a health risk.
In fact, Jacques Ramsay insists the death of a Montreal man last year is further proof that adults still use swabs in their ears despite warnings on the package.
Daniel St-Pierre, 43, died last March 25 after developing meningitis-induced intracranial complications caused by a bacterial ear infection.
As the story goes, St-Pierre likely developed the infection accidentally, piercing his eardrum with a cotton swab while trying to treat a painful earache.
It’s a problem Ramsay says could become all too common, and demands that manufacturers be mandated by Health Canada to put a larger image of an ear with a red X on packages to further curb use by those that stick the swabs dangerously deep into eardrums.
The coroner says the best way to clean an ear is with a pinky, especially when coming out of the shower or after a swim. Other experts, including CityNews Medical Specialist Dr. Karl Kabasele, suggest putting a couple of drops of light oil, like olive oil, into each ear canal.
Dr. Kabasele adds that ears are supposed to clean themselves naturally, gradually moving wax and dirt out as skin grows.
