Paraffin in creams set ‘many ablaze’

London, March 19: Skin creams containing paraffin have been linked to at least 37 fire deaths across England since 2010, the BBC has reported.

Regulators in the UK said the products - used to treat skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis can leave people at risk of setting themselves ablaze.

The BBC gave out an example of a man who died in 2006 after accidentally setting himself on fire when sparks from his cigarette made contact with emollient cream on his skin. Philip Hoe, who was suffering from psoriasis, was engulfed in flames within seconds. “When we got there, the staff came to me and told us he was covered with 90% burns,” Hoe’s wife Carol was quoted as saying in the report.

According to the BBC, experts have been warning people about the risks for the past 10 years and a related investigation recently found that at least 37 deaths were linked to skin creams catching fire.

Medical watchdogs in the UK had said skin creams containing paraffin were dangerous if used in large quantities. Studies found that those who used the creams regularly without many change of clothes allowed the products to seep into fabric, which made them flammable.

The report included another death from 2015. Briton John Hills, 84, died after he set himself on fire with his pipe. Experts believe he caught fire after a paraffin-based cream, called Cetraben, was absorbed by his clothes. — Agencies