Death of runner, 17, blamed on balm

A medical examiner blamed a 17-year-old track star’s death on the use of too much anti-inflammatory cream, the kind used to soothe aching leg muscles after exercise.

Arielle Newman, a cross-country runner at Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island, died April 13. Her body had absorbed high levels of methyl salicylate, an anti-inflammatory found in sports creams such as Bengay and Icy Hot, the New York City medical examiner said Friday.

The spokeswoman for the medical examiner said that Newman also used adhesive pads containing the anti-inflammatory, plus an unspecified third product that contained it. She said it was the first time her office had attributed a death to a sports cream.