A Gold Coast toddler is on the road to recovery after being rushed to hospital when he inhaled toxic cake decorations that turned to sludge in his lungs.
Toddler's Ordeal
Fourteen-month-old Dustin “Dusty” Wildman is now breathing on his own again after a terrifying ordeal that saw him placed in an induced coma. The little boy inhaled decorative powder containing copper, which formed a dangerous sludge in his lungs and required emergency surgery.
His mother Katie Robinson has shared an encouraging update that Dusty’s breathing tube has now been removed and doctors are happy with his progress.
Mother's Update
“Dusty has had his breathing tube taken out and now has high flow oxygen through nasal prongs,” she wrote in a GoFundMe. “He is doing well breathing on his own. His meds have decreased but he is still in a drowsy state. The doctors are happy with his progression, however still unsure about lasting effects on the lungs.”
Dangerous Powder
Doctors sent away the decorative powder for testing and discovered it contained copper and zinc compounds. “All these products look exactly the same and the fact that there’s toxic, non-edible products sitting right next to edible products that do the same job, technically, is the problem,” Robinson said.
The metal-based powder involved in the incident was labelled “for use on removable parts” — wording Robinson believes is vague and open to interpretation. The supplier has since removed the product from sale and contacted stockists, requesting it be destroyed.
Dustin “Dusty” Wildman became unwell after inhaling a metallic cake decorating powder at his Gold Coast home.
