Beijing Teenager Poisoned by Sprite

Dan Edwards | Feb 2, 2010 12:30 pm | 3 comments | 4033 reads

Beijingers are no strangers to tainted food and beverages – we all remember the “melamine in milk” scandal of 2008 which continues to reverberate through China’s dairy industry. Now it seems some supplies of Sprite in the city may be suspect, with two patients hospitalized in recent months with mercury poisoning after consuming the soft drink.

This morning the China Daily reported: “A middle-school student has become the second person in Beijing to get mercury poisoning after drinking a can of Sprite in less than three months. A 13-year-old Beijing student named Wang Haoyong was sent to the 307 PLA Hospital on Jan 17 for mercury poisoning after consuming the beverage… Wang is currently in a stable condition…Wang said that he bought a can of Sprite in a supermarket near his school in Tongzhou district.”

The first mercury poisoning incident took place back in November, when a man was diagnosed with mercury poisoning after drinking a can of Sprite in a Xidan restaurant.

According to the China Daily article, “Chen Yi, a public relations manager from Coca-Cola Beijing Company, said all the production procedures and materials they use are mercury-free.”

Police are currently investigating both poisoning incidents.

Comments

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Re: Beijing Teenager Poisoned by Sprite
Posted Feb 9, 2010 10:04am by danedwards

Hi Dikran,

Anything is possible.

The "melamine in dairy products" scandal is widespread and ongoing. In September 2008 melamine was found by food testers in a range of mainland-produced sweets, including White Rabbit candy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/sep/24/foodsafety.tesco

There's been lots of coverage of the ongoing problem of melamine in dairy products, but examples of recent reports on tainted products can be found here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B92GB20091210

And here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B92GB20091210

Personally I try to avoid anything locally produced containing dairy products.

Regards,

Dan

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Re: Beijing Teenager Poisoned by Sprite
Posted Feb 5, 2010 10:24pm by Dikran

Could it be that there are fake sprites in the market????

Most of the hard liquor they sell in Sanlitun bars are almost fake.

Last week I bought a bag of candies from a supermarket, we didn't read the label then, this morning we read the label and it says made in Guangdong, we've heard on the news that a big portion of that tainted milk were sold to factories in Guangdong, Is that true??

so now we're afraid to even buy candies.

Gullekian
Today is the first day for the rest of my life

Re: Beijing Teenager Poisoned by Sprite
Posted Feb 2, 2010 11:49pm by herojuana

That's a very damning headline.

It says the matter is under investigation.

"Poisoned by Sprite" sounds like you have already cast the guilty verdict.

Sprite is a refreshing and crisp alternative to cola.

Irish coffee, and Irish car bomb
A fat drunk jew starts singing this song
I take a closer look and the fat guy is me
So I buy him a shot, and he buys me back three