Childproof Oil Lamps Are Possible! New Design Burners Can Effectively Protect Children from Poisoining

Background: For more than 10 years the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and its predecessorinstitutes have been striving to reduce the risk of poisoningfrom lamp oil by raising awareness of the hazards.In most of these accidents children drank directlyfrom the unsafe oil lamps, which are mostly in the reachof the children. Therefore, a European standard waspublished in 2003 (DIN EN 14059: Decorative oillamps - Safety requirements and test methods) on theinitiative of BfR, which stipulates safety requirementsand test methods for safe oil lamps for ornamental purposes.However, manufacturers and distributors have sofar failed to develop childproof oil lamps for use inhomes and gardens or place such lamps on the Europeanmarket. To protect the children, proposals have beenmade for an easy construction of child-safe burners.Method: Out of concern for children's health the BAMFederal Institute for Materials Research and Testing(BAM), with the support of BfR, has come up with adesign study for a childproof burner for lamp oils. Thisis a very simple and low-cost design that can be constructedwithout any major technical outlay. Existinglamps can be retrofitted. The burners are designed insuch a way that children can no longer open and drinkfrom the oil lamps. It is also much more difficult forthem to access the wick. The BAM, the responsiblepublic agency, makes this design available to manufacturersand distributors free of charge on the Internet.Manufacturers can then incorporate it into their ownmarketable products thereby considerably increasingthe safety of their products in line with the ProductSafety Act. Results: The BAM and BfR activitiesshould be seen more particularly against the backdropthat the actual share of less dangerous substitutes forlamp oils containing biodiesel, mineral oil or coconutoil is quite small, but will increase in the future with anew legislation.Conclusion: The still existing gapbetween dangerous paraffin lamp oils and their safesubstitutes can be tightened by constructive measures.The suggested "public open" low-cost design for ornamentallamps can effectively protect children frompoisoning.