Stop using them : Cotton buds dangerous to ears

MILLIONS of children and the general
public continue to be at risk with the
sale of cotton buds in most
supermarkets and some pharmacies in
the country .
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT ) experts
admit to have received numerous
cases whereby a person had taken the
cotton bud too far after dosing off or
someone accidentally rammed on
them as well as cases of children
whose mothers had gone too far while
cleaning them .
Despite these side effects , petty
traders, supermarkets and pharmacies
in Dar es Salaam continued to sell the
products . Importers , on the other
hand, have been ignorant of cotton
buds health hazards , saying “ it ’ s a
minor issue.
” Muhimbili National Hospital ’ s (MNH )
ENT surgeon , Dr Menrad Kahumba ,
wondered why importers and
distributors of cotton buds do not ask
manufacturers about the significance
of cotton buds and whether there was
caution saying that the bud should not
be put in the ear canal.
“ For those supermarkets and
pharmacies selling cotton buds that
don ’ t have physical addresses on their
labels , should be aware that these are
fake products like many others in the
market because the lack of address
justifies one to be taken into account ,”
he cited.
According to Dr Kahumba , it is
mandatory for producers of whatever
products to have addresses of all
products sold in respective shops so
that the origin of product is known
and to state what the usage of the
product is, including health caution .
He said that thousands of people were
putting themselves at risk everyday
because of picking up addictive habits
without knowing that they are causing
harm to themselves like “ cigarette
smoking , the usage of toothpicks even
after a cup of tea and almost daily use
of cotton buds to remove earwax . ”
A random survey conducted by this
newspaper in most large supermarkets
and pharmacies in Dar es Salaam
established that there are many
cotton buds being sold without the
statutory caution that its usage may
cause harm and should be kept out of
the reach of children.
‘ Sunday News ’ also established that
cotton buds are also sold at kiosks,
side shops and even by hundreds of
hawkers roaming the streets of Dar es
Salaam. An attendant working in one
of the major pharmacy chains in the
city who didn ’ t want to be quoted said
that the shop was aware of what ENT
specialists caution about cotton buds
and admitted selling them but was
quick to add that they always made it
a point to inform customers especially
mothers not to insert the buds in the
ears and nose of their children.
The attendant said that cotton buds
had other uses apart from how they
are commonly used and that they
advise mothers to use them to clean
their children between the fingers and
toes and the outer part of the ear .
A supermarket attendant located
within the city centre said that she
was totally unaware of the risks to the
ear and that though the products
were out of stock when the survey
was conducted, she admitted selling
them because they are on high
demand.
Ms Miriam Labuva, a shop keeper in
Sinza Mori , also in the city, said she
had no idea that the cotton buds
cause infection to the ear and was
visibly surprised , questioning why this
was the first time she was hearing of
it . “ My family and I have been using
cotton buds for so long .
I have to say I am very surprised to
hear that these things can cause harm
to people, mass education is needed if
the public is to be effectively
sensitised,” she said. Mr Abdul
Shomari ( 60) , a taxi driver in Tazara
area , admitted that he was a frequent
user of the buds saying that he used
them at least three times a week and
was vividly worried when he learnt
about what the doctors had to say
about cotton buds .
ENT specialists at the Muhimbili
National Hospital ( MNH) have raised
alarm on the usage of cotton buds to
clean ears as the practice increases
risk to infectious diseases. The MNH
Surgical Services Dr John Kimario, told
the 'Sunday News' that cotton buds
had devastating effects to the human
ear and advocated for the public to
refrain from using cotton buds .
“ What people don ’ t know or want to
know is that wax isn ’ t dirt but rather
protection to the ear drum . Just like
saliva helps in oral hygiene and tears
to cleanse the eyes, wax is important
to the ear ,” he explained . Dr Kimario
said that the ear has its own
mechanism of cleaning itself where
1mm is cleaned every 24 hours and
that cotton buds increased the risk of
putting foreign bodies in the ear and
also causing injury to the ear drum .