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Qld kids who ate toxin doing well

A Queensland principal says all 25 pupils who ate a toxic substance they believed was candy are doing well.

An emergency department sign
A Queensland principal says pupils who at a toxic substance they believed was candy are doing well. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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More than 20 Queensland school kids who ate toxic flame colourant are all recovering well and four who were taken to hospital are now home.

Deception Bay North State School principal Pamela O'Loughlin says 25 pupils ingested a product called Mystical Fire in the school yard on Monday, believing it was popping candy.

She says a full investigation will determine who brought the product to school amid reports it was a nine-year-old girl.

But she says it's important to remember the incident involved young, Grade 4 students, and said they must be treated gently.

"These are little children. They were Grade 4-aged children so we need to show a little bit of care for their feelings," she told ABC radio on Tuesday.

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"When we do get to the people or person who brought it along (to school), did they really understand what it was? Do we really know that?"

Ms O'Loughlin said staff at the school handled the emergency very well, and provided preliminary first aid when the children began complaining of sore throats and mouths and nausea.

Paramedics were quickly called in and she said the four children who were taken to hospital were doing fine, and were all released by Monday evening.

Ms O'Loughlin will speak with pupils on Tuesday to warn them to take extreme care with what they put in their mouths and what they bring to school.

Tara Ward said her daughter Leilani Nanai ate about half a packet of the toxin after a friend brought it to school and told her it was popping candy.

"We have taught her not to take anything from anyone but she was trusting her friend," Ms Ward told ABC radio.

She said the packet was thrown in the bin after Leilani experienced a bad reaction but a third pupil retrieved it and began passing it around to other students, telling them it was candy.

Leilani is still feeling unwell and doctors have warned her mother to watch her closely for the next 24 hours.

"It's quite a nasty substance, there's a lot of poison in there, so definitely there could still be some reaction to it."

Queensland Health Minister Cameron Dick has flagged the need for changes to the bright packaging of Mystical Fire.

"It is something that could grab the eye of children, so I think we need to perhaps look at it," he told Nine Network.

Mr Dick also warned parents to be careful about chemical products being brought into the family home.

"Make sure you put it in a safe place."


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