Post #391166 by ikitnrev on Wed, Jul 2, 2008 11:29 AM

Mixology Warning #1 - Do not place the tiki torch oil near the rest of your liquors.

An 84-year-old Burlington County woman died and five other New Jersey residents were sickened in separate incidents after drinking small amounts of torch oil they mistook for apple juice, New Jersey poison control officials said yesterday.

One of those injured was an 8-year-old Bergen County girl whose lungs sustained permanent damage after she drank from a glass on the kitchen counter filled with what she thought was apple juice.

State health officials last night said they were working on sending out an electronic alert to local health officials about the incidents.

The Burlington County woman, who was not identified, died in a hospital Monday night from "complications of lung damage," said Steve Marcus, executive director of the New Jersey Poison Information & Education System. Marcus said the Burlington County Medical Examiner's Officer is investigating.

"Somebody poured the drink for her thinking it was apple juice," he said of the "kerosene-like" substance, which is used to light patio torches.

One person mistook the oil for bottled water and tried to make coffee, but didn't get sick, Marcus said.

. . . . .

"I can understand easily why someone would mistake it for food. If it was on a shelf or on a table, you would have to look pretty hard," he said, although he noted the bottle has a warning label, written in both English and Spanish.

Marcus said he has alerted state health officials as well as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the manufacturer about what he called the "look-alike" oil.

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/topstories/index.ssf/2008/07/tikitorch_oil_kills_woman_and.html