Sunscreen, mud burned tourists

Chemicals in sunscreen mixed with sulphurous mud have been blamed for burning the faces of two English tourists at a Rotorua tourist attraction.

Hell's Gate general manager Bryan Hughes said tests carried out by the tourist attraction and a private laboratory in Hamilton have shown the chemicals in the sunscreen can react with the sulphur found in the mud.

Farah, 26, and Ghania, 27, from England had their holiday ruined at the beginning of the month following a horrifying trip to Hell's Gate.

Like many guests before them, the pair, who did not want their surnames published, put mud from the pools on their faces.

The mud burned their skin leaving blisters.

A Rotorua doctor told the tourists the burns could leave life-long scars.

Mr Hughes said the burns still seemed strange considering nothing similar had happened before.

Hell's Gate and the laboratory investigated the sunscreen worn by the tourists and found that two chemicals in the product could react with sulphur. The chemicals are ethylhexyl-p-methoxycinnamate and benzophenones.

Mr Hughes said Hell's Gate had also reduced pH levels in its mud baths, which apparently helped reduce the risk of the chemicals reacting.

He said guests were now told verbally and with signs in the changing rooms to wash their faces thoroughly of sunscreen and make-up if they wished to put the sulphurous mud on their faces.

- NZPA