Better Labels Urged for Sports Creams

This undated family photo provided to the Staten Island Advance and released Saturday, June 9, 2007 shows Arielle Newman. Newman, 17, a cross-country runner at Notre Dame Academy in New York's Staten Island, died on April 3, 2007, after her body absorbed high levels of methyl salicylate, an anti-inflammatory found in sports creams such as Bengay and Icy Hot, the New York City medical examiner said Friday, June 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Courtesy Newman family via The Staten Island Advance) (AP)

Topical application of methyl salicylate can be hazardous if it is smeared over 40 percent of the body, if someone has a skin condition or if another medication interacts negatively with the products, Kearney said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should mandate the warning labels also include that the products contain aspirin, which can be harmful for some consumers, including those with asthma, Varlotta said.

"There are warnings, but I don't think they're strong enough. I don't think they're direct enough," he said. "There's nothing here that says 'contains an aspirin product.'"

Kimberley Rawlings, a spokeswoman for the FDA, said the agency is aware of Newman's death. "We are looking into it," she said. She would not say whether the labeling requirements for methyl salicylate products might be changed.

Methyl salicylate is not the only common pain reliever that can be dangerous if used improperly.

Accidental poisonings from acetaminophen, best known by the Tylenol brand, are the nation's leading cause of acute liver failure.

A big problem is that people don't read warning labels on over-the-counter drugs, said Rebecca Burkholder, vice president for health policy at the National Consumers League.

"People are thinking if it's on the shelf at their local drugstore that it's harmless," Burkholder said. "And they're going to take as much as they need to make the pain go away."