“It raises the question that, given the amount of harm that acetaminophen is causing, why hasn’t there been more being done about it - at least insofar as alerting the public, alerting doctors?” Lexchin asks.

Health Canada’s own experts raised the same question in the internal 2009 report.

“To ensure safe use of over-the-counter products, such as acetaminophen, there is increased necessity to provide consumers with clear, pointed information - including product labelling and educational material - to allow them to make well informed decisions regarding their medical health.”

Other countries have tried implementing stronger warnings or smaller packages to prevent accidental overdoses. But every expert interviewed by the Star agreed that an important solution is perhaps the most difficult one: to make people aware.

In the United States, the FDA has undertaken a public education offensive in recent years, creating videos, an educational campaign, issuing consumer updates and serving as an adviser for an awareness campaign called Know Your Dose.

Health Canada directed the Star to an “It’s Your Health” website, which currently has a broken link. Aside from notices about specific products, the most recent awareness advisory, “Reminding Canadians About Using Acetaminophen Safely,” was issued in 2011.

“When it comes to broader education campaigns on the (over-the-counter side), there’s not a ton of history there (with Health Canada),” said Harrington with Consumer Health Products Canada. “It’s just not something they focus on. And industry has to step up as well.”

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After Ashley died, Campbell and his wife flushed all of their acetaminophen pills down the toilet. But over time, especially as his arthritis started flaring up, he came to realize that acetaminophen was the best drug for him to relieve his pain.

The difference is now he has a fierce appreciation for the potential dangers. Campbell understands the risks - he only wishes he could have communicated them to his daughter.

“As a father, that’s the legacy I’m left with, the guilt,” Campbell said. “I thought about pot, I thought about booze, I thought about boyfriends, I thought about staying out at night, I thought about sex - all the things a dad thinks about with a daughter.

“I did not think about acetaminophen.”

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By: Jennifer Yang Global health reporter, Robert Cribb Foreign
Jennifer Yang can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)