Chilling warning after two children almost die drinking popular slushy drinks
Parents are being warned about giving their young children slushies after two toddlers almost died from tasting the sugary drinks.
Doctors have issued a warning over the popular drinks sold at playparks, cinemas and fairgrounds - blaming glycerol, an additive substance found inside the seemingly child-friendly drinks. The additive, also called E422, gives the drink its slushy effect, stopping the drinks from freezing solid and acts as a sugar-free sweetener. While mildly toxic to humans, the amount typically contained in slushies is so small that regular consumption poses little danger to adults and older children.
However, younger children struggle to process the glycerol levels and they can build up and quickly cause serious harm and intoxication. The Food Safety Agency (FSA) in the UK advises retailers should not offer such drinks and especially free refills on slushy drinks to children under-10.
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Experts are warning parents about the toxic effects the slush drinks could have on their young children (Getty Images/iStockphoto)In guidance published in August, the FSA said it would be 'monitoring' how widely industry followed its advice and left the door open to taking more action in the future. The FSA advice was based on a slushy containing 50,000mg/l of glycerol.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
It comes after a mother shared her own terrifying experience of almost losing her son who had consumed a slushy drink. Beth Green, 24, told how her son Albie fell unconscious a little while after enjoying a small strawberry-flavoured slushy. The four-year-old had been bowling with a friend at the time.
But within 30 minutes, Beth said Albie was "tired and agitated" on the way home - but his condition worsened and he ended up in hospital. Months later, Beth and partner Fred Pegg were told Albie had suffered 'glycerol intolerance' after slurping an iced slushy drink.
Beth said: "It was a Friday after school and we took Albie and his friend to a bowling alley. He'd had a slushy there before. Albie did have slushies frequently when it was warmer weather but it wasn't something that was constant, it was just a nice little treat for him. Him and his friend both drank their kids slushies and after that he was happy and excited. At about 4.15pm he started getting a bit tired and agitated, he didn't want to play anymore.
Beth Green, 24, told how her son Albie fell unconscious a little while after enjoying a small strawberry-flavoured slushy (Kennedy News and Media)
Albie was rushed to hospital after drinking a small slushy (Kennedy News and Media)"We just thought he was tiredand had a long week at school. When he got in the car he kept saying he was tired. He physically couldn't keep himself awake, his head kept dropping." Soon after dropping Albie's friend home, the parents noticed their son beginning to scratch himself and even hallucinate. The mother thought it was very strange and called Albie's grandmother who told her to take him to hospital.
Beth's nightmare came just days after anothet mother experienced something similar with her own son. Victoria Anderson told how her three-year-old almost died died when the 29-year-old, from Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, had taken her youngest son, three-year-old Angus, and an elder sibling out shopping on January 4.
Angus requested a raspberry-flavoured slushie after spotting the bright, pink-coloured ice drink while in a local corner shop and unaware of the danger, Victoria purchased the drink for her son, his first slushy drink. However her nightmare began 30 minutes later when the three-year-old unexpectedly collapsed and fell unconscious.
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