TY - JOUR T1 - Emollients and smoking: a fire hazard that could be prevented to reduce future deaths JF - BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine JO - BMJ EBM SP - 131 LP - 134 DO - 10.1136/bmjebm-2020-111648 VL - 26 IS - 3 AU - Maja Karolina Bilip AU - Georgia C Richards Y1 - 2021/06/01 UR - http://ebm.bmj.com/content/26/3/131.abstract N2 - Emollients are readily available in prescription and over-the-counter products, and are commonly used in homes and healthcare facilities. These products are not harmful or flammable in isolation, but if they are combined with flames, such as the light of a cigarette, and fabric, they accelerate fires, resulting in burns and deaths. This article describes a prevent future death case report of a 74-year-old woman who succumbed to burns in the presence of paraffin based emollient creams and a lighted match. We highlight the fire risks of such products and the need for greater awareness among the public and healthcare professionals.This article is part of the coroners’ concerns to prevent harms series.1 It discusses a prevention of future death report on the fire accelerant properties of emollient products.2 Products containing emollients, from E45 and Vaseline to Cetraben, are widely available over the counter or by prescription. In the past 12 months (October 2019 to September 2020), more than 15 million items containing emollients were dispensed in England, costing more than £93 million.3 They come in various formulations, including liquids, creams and ointments (box 1), and are used to hydrate the skin. Emollients can contain paraffin, an oily liquid composed of saturated hydrocarbons from petroleum,4 to help form a protective film over the skin and trap moisture. Paraffin is cheaper than alternative agents, such as lanolin or olive oil.5 If their residue on fabric is exposed to fire (eg, from the light of a cigarette or stovetop), emollients (both paraffin free and paraffin based) can act as accelerants to the fire, and have devastating consequences. It was previously thought that the risk of fire was posed only by emollients containing more than 50% paraffin, but it has been acknowledged that the fire risk cannot be excluded … ER -