Parents warned against "very dangerous" sour lollies
<p dir="ltr">Parents are being warned of the serious dangers of sour lollies which could burn the skin off children’s tongues.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A Perth mother shared images of her son’s tongue to social media warning parents of the impact sour lollies could have. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The post was also shared by CPR Kids, hoping it will spread awareness of sour lollies in general and the dangers it imposes to children.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Sour candy packaging often stipulates that children under 4 shouldn’t eat the sweets and that consuming multiple lollies quickly can cause ‘temporary irritation to sensitive tongues and mouths’,” their post reads.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Perth mum did not specify which lolly her son had eaten with CPR Kids saying popular sour lollies such as Warheads and TNT are widely available around the country.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“We understand that the labels come with warnings, but dentists say the lollies should be avoided altogether due to the acidic coating (regardless of age),” their post continued.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“CHOICE conducted lab tests on sour candy and the results are a little concerning - most sour lollies are more acidic than vinegar!”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Dental Association of Australia’s Jonathon Teoh repeated the warning to parents, asking them to be wary of what their children consume. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“Sour lollies can be very dangerous due to the high level of acid or PH which can cause chemical burns,” he said</p>
<p dir="ltr">The research conducted by CHOICE showed that the burning of tongues from sour lollies was not a national issue, but worldwide. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“A number of years ago the UK Food Standards Agency issued a warning to parents about a possible risk to children from particular sour novelty sweets after receiving reports of them causing blisters, burns and bleeding to the tongue and mouth,” they revealed. </p>
<p dir="ltr">After reaching out to a Facebook community group, CHOICE received several reports from parents after their children consumed the products.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Within seconds my daughter started saying her tongue was stinging. As she went to touch it her skin just peeled away and she was left with a raw hole" mother Peggy said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Virtually straight after my daughter ate a couple of the lollies she told me her tongue felt funny. She showed me and to my horror about a 1–2mm deep layer of the surface of her tongue had come away. She had about a week or so of painful healing," Kylie, another parent said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"[My son] went for a sleepover and after having these he ended up with massive mouth ulcers and off to the dentist!" Bec said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"My daughter had bleeding of the tongue and at least a layer was removed," mother Jessi recalled.</p>
<p dir="ltr">CHOICE questioned whether the lollies that cause blisters, burns and bleeding to the tongue and mouth are a step too far. </p>
<p dir="ltr">They reiterated that just like any other lollies, they are not healthy.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But in reference to TNT's Mega Sour Grenade, a sour lolly which has a warning label to flush the eyes with water if they come into contact, is a “cause for concern”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“There's currently no general safety provision under Australian Consumer Law (ACL) that companies have to comply with, and we think one is needed.”</p>
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<p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>
