A family celebration dissolved into a night at the hospital after a Nedlands restaurant accidentally poisoned three patrons, confusing mosquito repellent for cranberry juice.
Michele Lemin and her two daughters Olivia, 12, and Hannah, 11, needed treatment after each drinking just a small amount of the insecticide at Miky’s Italian Restaurant on Friday.
WA Health has confirmed the incident was under investigation by the City of Nedlands.
Ms Lemin said her daughters had asked for cranberry juice after being told there was no apple juice.
“The waiter brought it over and it looked like cranberry juice,” she said.
“They both took a gulp at the same time, and spat it out on the table. They said ‘it’s poisonous’. I said, ‘don’t be silly’ “
On tasting it herself, she too spat it out.
Her husband, Marcus, smelt it and instantly realised it wasn’t a case of bad juice and demanded to see the bottle.
“We were told ‘it’s just old cranberry juice, we’ll give you a new one’.
Mr Lemin, a chemical engineer, insisted they show him the bottle, which was then taken out of the bar fridge.
“My husband grabbed it and looked at it and he said ‘it’s citronella oil mixed with insect repellent —you’ve poisoned them’.”
The bottle, which they took photos of, was labelled Plus Bifenthrin, and carried a prominent warning. The product is harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through skin.
“I was just focused on looking after my girls,” Ms Lemin said. “The restaurant was full but I wasn’t even aware of anyone in the restaurant. It was like ‘oh my god’.
“The girls were crying. There was instant burning because they swallowed it. They spat some out but they had also swallowed it. I had swallowed it too and the taste was awful.”
Mr Lemin said the waiter was apologetic.
“The guy who poured the drinks was like, ‘I’m so sorry’. He was quite distraught,” he said.
The Lemins immediately took their children to Perth Children’s Hospital, calling the poison information line en route.
“My daughters had already started displaying these symptoms — burning, tingling in their arms and headaches. PCH triaged them straight away.
“As they’re being looked after I started feeling ill. I felt really drowsy. My stomach was burning, I had a headache. And the nurse said ‘you need to go to Charles Gairdner (Hospital), which was across the road.”
The children were feeling better in the morning, but Ms Lemin was still feeling the effects on Saturday afternoon.
“I feel awful,” she said. “The nurses in the hospital said they could smell the citronella on me.”
Mr Lemin said he knew straight away it wasn’t juice.
“Citronella has got a strong smell to it, so I knew it wasn’t bad old cranberry juice,” he said.
“The hospital said it’s a citronella with an insecticide in it, which is really the more hazardous bit.”
Ms Lemin, a teacher, said the family had gone out for a meal to celebrate the end of the school term.
The restaurant was contacted for comment on Saturday.
WA Health said it had been advised of the incident and would support the City of Nedlands which was responsible for investigating the matter.
“The family went to emergency departments at PCH and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where they were observed for several hours before being discharged,” a spokesperson said.