Methamphetamine-laced 7Up that reportedly caused one fatality and sickened seven other people in Mexico has prompted U.S. health authorities to issue a warning to travelers visiting the area.
Tampering And Contamination Of Soft Drinks Reported In Mexicali, Mexico
Health experts warned of reported tampering and contamination of 7Up soft drinks in Mexicali, Mexico. Banner Health, which operates 28 hospitals in the United States, said that its toxicologists and emergency department doctors are currently on high alert after reports of the tampering emerged.
Check Seals Of Food And Drinks
Travelers to the area were advised to be cautious and to check if the seals on their food and drinks are intact. Experts advised travelers to throw food and drinks with a difference in taste, color, and smell.
Mexican authorities have already removed the soft drinks from the shelves, but the investigation is still going on in an effort to determine how the bottles were contaminated with the drug.
Side Effects Of Drinking Contaminated Soft Drink
Among the side effects of consuming contaminated soft drink include burning in the esophagus, nausea or vomiting, irritation of the mouth or throat, irregular heartbeat, and difficulty breathing.
Chris Barnes, a spokesman for the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, said that 7Up products in the United States have not been affected by 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."
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug that is often used as a white, bitter-tasting pill or powder.
"Manufacturers make most of the methamphetamine found in the United States in 'superlabs' here or, more often, in Mexico. But some also make the drug in small, secret labs," the National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA) said.
People often take the drug by inhaling or smoking, snorting, swallowing, or injecting. Overdose can cause toxic reaction that can lead to serious and harmful symptoms, and even death. Methamphetamine overdose can result in heart attack, stroke, and organ problems such as kidney failure.
Methamphetamine Also Found In Manual Of Video Game
The incident with soft drink bottles contaminated with methamphetamine is not the first time the drug was discovered in an unlikely place.
In May earlier this year, an 11-year-old boy who bought a second-copy of Grand Theft Auto V discovered a bag of meth within the manual. The copy of GTA V with unexpected drug bonus was bought from the Capital West, Tallahassee branch of GameStop in Florida.
