r/science2

PSA: ⚠️** If you use migraine relief caps, cooling headache eye masks, or gel-filled cold wraps, PLEASE read this. Especially if you have pets or children**.

Hi everyone!

I’m sharing this PSA because I’m genuinely worried and I need your help getting the word out to those of us who suffer with migraines.

I bought a migraine cap a few years ago, desperate for relief from the excruciating headaches I developed after COVID. Last year a senior toxicologist at the ASPCA contacted me. She shared with me that they have been getting calls every week from devastated pet owners whose dogs had chewed or swallowed the gel inside cooling products. They needed a lab that could test for acrylamide, a neurotoxin.

I’m just a mom who never imagined any of this would happen to my family. When my daughter was a baby, she was [severely injured and poisoned by a toy](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Water-Beads-Harmful.aspx). It changed our lives forever and led me to start a product safety nonprofit and help develop a test for acrylamide, the chemical that harmed her. That’s why the ASPCA reached out to me. Nearly a decade later, it still feels surreal. But if what happened to my daughter can help protect someone else, I want to make sure people have the information they need to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. Hence why I’m making this PSA.

We tested these products, and what we found was alarming: [**12,000–51,000 parts per million (ppm) of residual acrylamide, a known neurotoxin!**](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/aop/javma.26.07.0539/javma.26.07.0539.xml?isSearch=true) What worries me even more is that the fabric on these caps is porous, meaning it isn’t necessarily a waterproof barrier. If the gel leaks,seeps through, or the cap seams come undone, the gel could come into direct contact with your skin. **And here’s what people need to understand: acrylamide isn’t only dangerous when swallowed.** [**It can also be absorbed through your skin**](https://wwwn.cdc.gov/tsp/PHS/PHS.aspx?phsid=1113&toxid=236)\*\*.\*\* **Repeated exposure over time is especially concerning, and you don’t have to develop a rash or notice irritation for chemical exposure to occur.** Given what we’ve found, I believe this deserves urgent investigation before more people or pets get hurt.

I am also concerned that because if after using these products someone develops a rash, swelling, blurry vision, headaches, or nerve problems, their symptoms could be dismissed or mistaken by doctors as an allergic reaction or another condition. Because it’s not widely known by physicians that these products contain acrylamide doctors might never consider chemical exposure, leaving patients without answers and potentially continuing to use something that’s exposing them to a harmful toxic chemical.

Please, I’m begging you to help me spread the word. I know what it feels like to discover a product is dangerous because someone you love was hurt. I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone. Please help me make sure other people know about this.

Thank you in advance for your time.

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