The Nation - News from May 5, 1988

Bottles of vomit-inducing ipecac syrup given away to shoppers by Kroger supermarkets in Texas and Louisiana during poison prevention week in March may actually contain deadly eucalyptus oil, the grocery chain warned. Kroger was notified that the free samples were among the bottles labeled as Humco brand ipecac syrup included in a nationwide recall of the product announced last week by the Food and Drug Administration. The recall, involving all lots of Humco ipecac, was undertaken after the Thrift Drug Co. in Pittsburgh reported that seven bottles in one of the company’s drugstores labeled as ipecac had been found to actually contain eucalyptus oil. As little as a teaspoon of the oil can be fatal when taken orally.