Athlete Dies from Muscle Cream Overdose

Attempting to soothe sore muscles with an application of a cream containing the ingredient methyl salicylate is something that most people involved in exercise or hard work have done at some time. Now it looks like a 17-year old female athlete has died from an overdose after using an extraordinary amount of the product Bengay.

Methyl salicylate is a natural oil also called oil of wintergreen. The salicylate group of substances are related to aspirin, but are quite common in foods in low amounts. It is highly unusual that a person could absorb enough through the skin to be fatal.

You can read more comment and analysis of the incident at the Kidney and Walking Guide sites.