Methamphetamine-laced 7Up soft drinks that somehow made their way onto shelves in Mexico have caused one death and sickened several more.
The tainted drinks were found in Baja California, a Mexican state, where its health department confirmed the reports. The drinks have now been removed from stores as a precaution, Fox News reported.
The manufacturers of the drink have also been notified of the incident. More than 77,000 individual containers of 7Up have been secured at a Mexican plant belonging to PepsiCo.
Mexican authorities are currently investigating how the drug got into the soda, according to a news release by the Baja California Health Department and also from a Facebook post from the Baja attorney general on Monday, Sept. 25.
Because of this recent incident, U.S. health experts are warning travelers planning to go to Mexico to pay extra attention and be “vigilant” during travel.
Banner Health, a medical department in the United States that operates 28 hospitals across six U.S. states warned citizens in a news release to make sure both food and drink are safe before consuming.
“It is important to check that the seal for any food and drink consumed is still intact and show no signs of tampering,” said Dr. Daniel Brooks, Banner Poison and Drug Information Center medical director.
“If you notice any difference in color, taste or smell, throw it out, Brooks warned.
According to Banner Health, side effects from soft drink contamination can happen suddenly and could cause “life-threatening illness.”
Symptoms from the soft drink contamination may include:
Irritation of, or abnormal taste in, the mouth our throat
Burning to the esophagus or abdomen
Nausea or vomiting
Difficulty breathing
Fast or irregular heart beat
A spokesman for the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which manufactures 7Up in the United States told AZ Central that American consumers should not be worried about the contamination.
“None of the 7Up products sold in the U.S. are affected by the issue being reported in Mexico,” Barnes said. “Dr Pepper Snapple owns and licenses the 7Up brand only in the U.S. and its territories. We do not market, sell, or distribute the brand internationally.”
The recent incident involving meth-laced 7Up comes just months after the U.S. State Department warned travelers to Mexico about reports of tainted alcohol at certain Mexican resort locations. The warning comes after a 20-year-old college student from Wisconsin was found dead after consuming alcohol on a family trip to Playa Del Carmen earlier in 2017.
In January, Abbey Conner, 20, was having drinks with her brother at the all-inclusive Iberostar Hotel and Resort Paraiso Del Mar just south of Playa del Carmen in Mexico when both of them blacked out. They were later found face-down in the resort’s pool. The brother survived.
According to the U.S. State Department’s website, the warning states: “There have been allegations that consumption of tainted or substandard alcohol has resulted in illness or blacking out. If you choose to drink alcohol, it is important to do so in moderation and to stop and seek medical attention if you begin to feel ill.”
People who consume drinks or food suspected to have been contaminated in any manner should immediately contact the Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222.
From NTD.tv
