ARE THEY REALLY SAFE? THE TRUTH ABOUT ESSENTIAL OILS
If you’ve ever visited a spa or tried a “natural” perfume, then you’ve probably been exposed to essential oils. These fragrant oils are derived from plants and have become a fad among health nuts, yoga practitioners, and even chefs. Many devotees believe that a few drops of oil added to a diffuser, mixed with food, or rolled onto the wrist can do just about anything, like reduce anxiety and ward off the common cold. In 2019, the global essential oil market was valued at more than $7 billion, and sales are expected to soar above $14 billion by 2026. But there’s a catch: Some doctors now warn that essential oils are not a panacea — and they’re not as safe as they seem. What do the experts say? According to Rose Ann Gould Soloway, a clinical toxicologist at the National Capital Poison Center, essential oils can be safe
and beneficial. However, they have harmful side effects when misused. Many oils can cause rashes and even poison users if they’re swallowed or rubbed directly onto the skin. In addition to this, incorrectly breathing in an essential oil can cause pneumonia. How are essential oils misused? When it comes to essential oils, there are two big mistakes people might make: They either overuse essential oils with their children or they apply them the wrong way. When essential oils are concerned, proper application and amount can make a life-or-death difference. Nutmeg oil, for example, tastes delicious in food but can cause hallucinations and even comas when mishandled, and eucalyptus oil, which can soothe a cough, can also cause seizures if ingested. Another example is sage oil; it has beneficial applications, but even small amounts can make a child very ill.
How can you use oils safely? If you use essential oils or oil-based products, it’s vital that you follow the instructions that come with them and keep bottles of pure oil locked away from your kids and pets. When you’re using oils topically, dilute them with a barrier substance like a non-essential oil, lotion, or aloe jelly; and when you’re inhaling them, use a waterless or water-based diffuser. Finally, when in doubt, do your research! The American Botanical Council’s HerbalGram journal, AromaWeb.com, and databases like ScienceDirect and PubMed Central are great resources. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital also offers an expert safety guide for using oils on kids.
CAN YOU GET A DUI IN A PARKED CAR? probable cause, they could arrest someone even if he or she was in the backseat or passenger seat and the keys weren’t in the ignition. There are a lot of situations in which multiple people may get arrested for DUI, even if they are not in the driver’s seat. For instance, if a police officer stops a car on the side of the road with multiple people inside and asks who was driving and different people admit to it (even if they weren’t driving), the officer may arrest everyone. A person can also be charged with a DUI even if they did not have the car’s key at the time of the arrest. The reason? Many cars on the road today do not always need keys to be driven and keys can sometimes get lost. However, in this case, things are often more complicated. Not having keys can be a good defense against a DUI. Attorney Mark Rosenfeld got a not-guilty verdict for a client who was in his car sleeping. He did not have the car’s key at the time, so the prosecution was unable to prove that he drove it, and the jury did not believe that person had, in fact, been driving the car.
I f a person is sitting in a vehicle, not driving, can that Police could arrest a car owner based on that circumstantial evidence if they are, say, in the parked car on the freeway miles from the nearest on-ramp, even if they were sitting in the passenger’s seat. The car obviously didn’t get there by itself, so the police have circumstantial evidence for the arrest. The issue then becomes whether the prosecution can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person drove and if they were impaired when they did so. person be charged with a DUI? What if they’re in the passenger seat? Does it matter? Here’s how it breaks down: A person does not have to be in the driver’s seat, nor do they have to be driving, to be charged with a DUI. That’s because it’s possible to be arrested for driving under the influence based on circumstantial evidence.
Police have a lot of latitude when it comes to DUI arrests. If an arresting officer has circumstantial evidence and can establish
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