Are they more harmful to kids?
Yes. This is because children have much smaller airways than adults, which can become blocked or irritated more easily. They also breathe more quickly relative to their body size, meaning they may inhale more potentially toxic substances at a time.
Children are often drawn to these metallic-looking cake products because they appear to be sparkly. They are also more likely to accidentally inhale cake dusts, for example while helping decorate cakes or blowing out candles.
In the Queensland case, the child inhaled about one tablespoon of gold cake dust before he started coughing, became unresponsive and ultimately spent days in an induced coma. It’s likely the inhaled dust entered the boy’s lungs, where it blocked his airways.
This case shows the importance of keeping toddlers away from anything they could swallow, or that may settle in their lungs.
Aluminium, copper, zinc? We're doing to cakes what we're doing to our bodies in order to look glamourous or whatever 🙄 😠