Meth has been discovered in bottles of the popular soft drink 7-Up, which has turned deadly for one person and put several others in the hospital in Mexico. While this discovery of methamphetamine in bottles of 7-Up occurred in Mexico, it has put emergency physicians on high alert at the Banner Health Hospital network in Arizona as the area of Mexico is on the U.S. border. The alert was put in place after reports of several bottles of the meth-laced 7-Up getting into the hands of consumers.
Arizona has issued a travel warning to all those planning to cross the border into Mexico. The symptoms come on fast if you happen to drink the 7-Up tainted with meth, report the medical professionals at Banner Health.
What someone would experience after consuming meth in a drink starts with a rapid onset of symptoms. These symptoms include “irritation or an abnormal taste in the mouth or throat; a burning sensation in the esophagus or abdomen; nausea; vomiting; difficulty breathing; and a fast or irregular heartbeat.”
According to the Banner Health professionals, “the contamination could be life-threatening.” While it is not clear how the meth got into the bottles of 7-Up, the Mexican government has ordered all product removed from store shelves in the Mexicali area, which is just south of the California border, reports the Washington Post.
Take that rum and Coke, I’ll have a Vodka and 7-Up. “There’s Meth-Laced 7Up in Mexico” https://t.co/7sTlRmtF3Z
— Darcy S. O’Neil (@dsoneil) September 22, 2017
Officials report that all these cases occurred in the Mexicali Valley, which is 120 miles away from San Diego, California. They are warning travelers headed for this area to be diligent about any food or drink ingested.
According to Live Science , the Health Department of Baja California, which is the Mexican state where the bottles were discovered, reports that the meth was found in the two-liter bottles of 7-Up. The people who distribute 7-Up in the U.S., the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, said that “none of the 7-Up products sold in the U.S. are affected by the issue being reported in Mexico.”
The warning issued by the officials of Arizona’s Banner Health Poison and Drug Information Center reminds travelers to check any product they purchase to eat or drink to make sure it has not been tampered with. They also convey if you are consuming a product and you notice a difference in the taste, smell, or coloring, toss it out, according to Mercury News.
[Featured Image by Zety Akhzar/Shutterstock]
