Wal-Mart Flip Flops Cause Skin Rash

Netlore Archive: Emailed images show alleged 'chemical burns' caused by Wal-Mart flip flops made in China.

Description: Emailed images
Circulating since: July 2007
Status: Authentic / True

Email example contributed by Nona C., Aug. 8, 2007:

Fw: Don't Buy Flip Flops from Wal-Mart! Products coming out of china are now being recalled due to unsafe materials to make products and keep the budget at a low cost. Lead is MIXED in the paint for toys and here is what happened when a customer bought a pair of flip flops from wal-mart, these were CHEMICAL BURNS: Read the whole story here: http://www.lamanaphotography.com/walmart.htm

(Photos by Kerry Stiles)

Analysis: The images above originated on a Web page authored by Kerry Stiles of Ocklawaha, Florida, who chronicles in painful detail the skin rash she suffered after wearing a pair of Chinese-made flip flops purchased at a local Wal-Mart store in June 2007. As the pictures on the Website show,

the inflammation grew progressively worse over a period of weeks even though Stiles only wore the latex sandals a few times. Her doctor diagnosed the condition as contact dermatitis.

Other customers reported similar experiences with the flip flops, marketed under the "Sand-N-Sun" brand, spurring Wal-Mart to instruct all stores to remove the product from their shelves until the issue could be investigated. On September 11, 2007 Wal-Mart announced it was recalling the flip flops for further testing.

What remains unclear as of this writing is what, precisely, is to blame for the inflammation, which has been variously described by sufferers as a "skin rash" or a "chemical burn." In a statement to Fox News, dermatologist Nanette Silverberg of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York speculated that the irritation is most likely due to an allergic reaction, either to the latex itself or residue from chemicals used to process the rubber. "There are a variety of agents that can do it in flip flops," she said.

A Wal-Mart spokesman told Fox News that out of seven million pairs sold, the company had only received 10 complaints of skin irritation related to the flip flops. Stiles, on the other hand, says she has heard from over a hundred people who suffered reactions comparable to hers since putting up the Web page in July.

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Sources and further reading:

Wal-Mart Recalls Chinese-Made Flip Flops
WKYT-TV News, 12 September 2007

Wal-Mart Flip Flops Linked to Foot Blistering, Burns
Fox News, 12 September 2007

Woman Considering Lawsuit After Wal-Mart Sandals Hurt Her Feet
WFTV-TV News, 12 September 2007

Prosser Woman Gets Chemical Burn from Wal-Mart Flip Flops
KNDO-TV News, 7 September 2007

Wal-Mart Flip Flops Feet Killers
Kerry Stiles describes her experiences with a skin rash or burn caused by Wal-Mart flip flops, with photos

Last updated: 07/27/10

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