MR ZHOU Yigui thought the energy drink tasted unusual after he bought it. So, he told the shopkeeper, Mr Li Zhiwei, to take a sip of it. Mr Li did so and promptly spat it out. Then he asked if Mr Zhou wanted to exchange the Bullwild energy drink for another.
But the 55-year-old plumber said: 'No need.' He drank it up, then placed the empty bottle on the counter. But he collapsed the moment he stepped out of the shop. He died two hours later, at 11.30pm on Tuesday night, reported Apple Daily Taiwan. On closer inspection, a label was seen pasted on the bottle, with the drawing of a skull and crossbones.
The chilling warning read: I contain poison. Please do not drink. But many Taiwanese buyers of the tampered drink, Bullwild, did not take note. Now, three other people have been hit by cyanide poisoning. Two of them are in critical condition and the third is under observation in the Veterans General Hospital in Taichung, central Taiwan. Meanwhile, the beverage company has launched an emergency recall of the drink.
A spokesman for Paolyta said that between 50,000 and 70,000 cartons, or some 1.68 million bottles of Bullwild energy drink, will be recalled islandwide. Also, all similar products will be removed from store shelves immediately, reported AFP. Police suspect that someone had tampered with the drinks, lacing them with cyanide, before placing them back on store shelves. But one of the victims, a truck driver, told the police that he did not notice the warning on the bottle.
The police found two other bottles of Bullwild carrying the same warning at the same convenience stores, from which the victims had bought their drinks. Paolyta has suspended production and distribution of all Bullwild energy drinks until the incident has been investigated and explained, the company spokesman said.
NEAR RAILWAY STATION
Police investigations found that the four affected people bought their drinks at four different convenient stores, all near the Taichung Railway Station. The victims vomitted or went into shock immediately after taking the drink. The police has started tracing possible sources of the compound used. They have found that only two chemical companies in Taichung City are authorised sellers of cyanide.
Cyanide is any chemical compound that contains the group C≡N, with the carbon atom triplebonded to the nitrogen atom. Inorganic cyanides contain the highly toxic cyanide ion CN- and are the salts of the acidhydrogen cyanide (HCN). Organic cyanides contain the CN group single-bonded to another carbon atom and are also known as nitriles. Two cyanide ions can bond to each other via their carbon atoms, forming the gas cyanogen.
errrrrr... ok.. i think that was too chim to understand... even for me.... maybe i shudden put even for me.. i failed chemistry.. always did... until my O levels. i hated chemistry. bahhh... dint like all the moles and calculations of moles and all the short forms for the chemicals... the only short forms i'm familiar with are only KNN and CCB... and when u combine them u get... KNNBCCB. simple as that.
Cyanide is a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that can exist in various forms.
Cyanide can be a colorless gas, such as hydrogen cyanide (HCN) or cyanogen chloride (CNCl), or a crystal form such as sodium cyanide (NaCN) or potassium cyanide (KCN).
Cyanide sometimes is described as having a “bitter almond” smell, but it does not always give off an odor, and not everyone can detect this odor.
Cyanide is also known by the military designations AC (for hydrogen cyanide) and CK (for cyanogen chloride).
This is crazy. I've told u taiwan has alot of happening news happening. Yet to see any articles on the husband slashing the wife news. will put it up as soon as i see it. That person that tampered with the drinks is really quite powerful. Wonder how he managed to plant the poison, paste the sign on the bottle and get away unnoticed. hopes he gets bang down by a car tmr and get reincarnated as a fly for his next 20 lives and continually get swat to death by me. but a fly is quite hard to swat.... maybe a cockcroach.. but again a cockcroach is damn fast. and its damn disgusting... so.... an ant would be a good choice. =) yes. he will be an ant for his next 20 lives. living in fear of bobby pua who would step on him. *splat*
So even though u're in Singapore or another country.. do take notice of ur bottles of watever drink before drinking them... U ARE NOT THAT THIRSTY
