An 11-year-old girl could be left permanently scarred after she spilled Primark nail glue on her leggings, which started to smoke and then burned her skin.
Lilly Worsfold, 11, had been shopping in Woking with friends on Saturday 3 August. When her mum, Louise, collected her, Lilly started applying some false nails with brush-on glue in the back seat of the car. Louise asked Lilly to wait until they arrived at her cousin’s house.
Lilly stopped, but the bottle of glue tipped in her lap and spilled on her leggings. The material began to smoke, burning both of Lilly’s legs.
At the same time Lilly’s eight-year-old sister Poppy, who was sitting in the front seat, said her eyes were hurting.
Louise said: ‘All I heard was this horrendous scream and she started to cry but she couldn’t tell me what was happening.
‘Then I realised what was happening. I stopped at a friend’s who lived near where we were and she got some cold tissue.
‘I got Lilly into my friend’s house and took her leggings off really gently. The leggings were stuck to her skin. I applied the cold tissue.’
Louise took Lilly to A&E, where she was given painkillers and referred to the burns unit at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead.
‘The staff at the burns unit said it was quite a significant area but were more concerned about how deep it had gone,’ said Louise.
‘She’s in quite a lot of pain and having to rest and keep her legs up. The skin is still tight and she said it feels tingly.’
Lilly will need to have another appointment to see if she requires a skin graft.
Her mum is sharing her story to raise awareness of the risks of using at-home nail products.
She says that Lilly was able to purchase the nail glue at the Woking branch of Primark, despite the warning label stating that the product should not be used by those under the age of 12.
Louise has contact Primark, who have requested photos of Lilly’s injuries and have asked for the bottle of nail glue to be returned to head office for investigation.
A Primark spokesperson said: ‘We take the safety of our customers and the quality of our products very seriously. This nail glue complies fully with EU standards for safety, quality and product labelling.
‘The glue is made of two ingredients which are both commonly used in similar products sold by retailers across the high street. The ingredients are listed on the product packaging alongside the required warnings about skin contact.
‘We were very sorry to learn of this customer’s experience and are in touch with her so we can investigate her complaint.
‘In line with legal requirements, the warning label on the product states it is not suitable for children under 12 years.
‘However, there is no legal restriction over its sale.’
Louise said: ‘I am just really sad it’s happened.
‘As a parent I do blame myself, she shouldn’t have been using it in the car.
‘Potentially it has left her with these scars for the rest of her life through an accident that shouldn’t have happened, but it has.
‘I worry how she is going to feel in the future.
‘She is just really worried that it could have happened to her sister and she’s worried that potentially she might have to have an operation.
‘It shouldn’t be sold to under 12s. They should have checked how old she was.
‘Some people have said this is a common thing to happen with nail glue and fabric.
‘It’s wasn’t like there was heat, it was at room temperature.
‘I don’t think many people would know nail glue would ignite fabric, not something you buy over the counter.’
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