Mexico - Meth Contamination Reported in 7Up

In Mexico, there has been one reported death and several illness from Methamphetamine, or meth, adulteration in bottles of 7Up soft drink.  This product tampering issue occurred in the Mexicali area, which is south of the Mexican border with California.

Washington Post
WorldViews Analysis
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/09/23/travelers-beware-meth-laced-7up-reportedly-causes-death-in-mexico/?utm_term=.25692ed9517a
Travelers beware: Meth-laced 7Up reportedly causes death in Mexico
By Rachel Chason September 23

Methamphetamine-laced 7Up has reportedly caused one death and sent seven other people to the hospital in northern Mexico, prompting warnings to travelers from U.S. health professionals.

Mexican authorities have removed the soft drink from shelves in the Mexicali area, just south of the California border, and are investigating how the drug made its way into the soda, according to a news release from the Baja California Health Department and a Facebook post from the Baja attorney general on Monday. The reported cases were in the Mexicali Valley, about 120 miles from San Diego.

Experts are warning travelers to the area to pay extra attention to whether the seals on their food and drinks are intact. Banner Health, which operates 28 hospitals in six U.S. states, says its toxicologists and emergency department physicians are on high alert following the reports of tampering.

“If you notice any difference in color, taste or smell, throw it out,” Daniel Brooks, medical director at the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center in Phoenix, said in a news release on Wednesday.

Side effects of consuming the contaminated soft drink include irritation of the mouth or throat, burning in the esophagus, nausea or vomiting, difficulty breathing and a fast or irregular heartbeat, according to the Banner Health news release.

The attorney general in Baja California state has opened an investigation into the death and illnesses that resulted from the contaminated drinks.

7Up products in the United States have not been contaminated, Chris Barnes, a spokesman for Dr Pepper Snapple Group, told AZ Central.

“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.”