Food Contamination And Poisoning

Federal Food and Drug Administration chief David A. Kessler said Thursday that investigators have found no evidence to support suggestions that syringes were placed in Pepsi cans as part of a nationwide tampering scheme. There have been dozens of reports from 23 states that needles have been found in Pepsi cans, and at least six people have been arrested for allegedly filing false claims.

At least seven Marina High School students, including five drill team members, were recovering Thursday after they unknowingly chewed LSD-laced bubble gum that had been given to them by other students, parents and authorities said. Several law enforcement officials said it was the first time they had heard of chewing gum used to transmit drugs. But some students on campus said that lacing bubble gum with LSD, or "acid," is a new fad. Police said the episode began Tuesday about 10 p.m.

At least seven Marina High School students, including five drill team members, were recovering Thursday after they unknowingly chewed LSD-laced Bazooka bubble gum that had been given to them by other students, parents and authorities said. Several law enforcement officials said this was the first time they have heard of chewing gum used as a way to transmit drugs. But some students on campus said that lacing bubble gum with LSD, or "acid," is a new fad.

Sizzler International said Monday that it temporarily closed two restaurants in Oregon after a food-poisoning outbreak, and it hired a microbiologist to help find the source of the bacterial infection. Meanwhile, the news helped push Sizzler's stock price down nearly 12% on the New York Stock Exchange, falling $1.125 per share to close at $8.50. The scope of the problem remains unclear. The Los Angeles-based company said seven people contracted an E.

Federal investigators found a decaying rat inside a Diet Pepsi-Cola can sold in Orange County, but decided to close the case without issuing warnings to Pepsi-Cola or to the public, U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorities confirmed Wednesday. A Pepsi official said the company denies responsibility for the rodent and that the claim may be the latest hoax against the firm. An FDA spokeswoman said it was unknown how the rat got into the can and that the incident seemed isolated.

One of summer's best-loved foods--hot dogs--may pose a health threat to consumers if left uncooked or undercooked, according to laboratory tests conducted for The Times. The tests found that 20% of the major brand hot dog products tested contained bacteria that most commonly cause flu-like symptoms but can cause serious illness.

Workers wearing protective "moon suits" and backed up by volunteer firefighters Friday removed 13,000 bushels of what could be the most toxic grain ever tested from an Iowa farm and trucked it to a hazardous waste dump near here. The delicate $90,000 operation took place more than two months after Iowa officials declared the corn--tainted by a mold-induced carcinogen called aflatoxin--a "hazardous material," the same designation reserved for dangerous chemicals and industrial pollutants.

My eyes popped open sometime after midnight and I knew I was in trouble. This was not a typical bellyache. It radiated from my gut. Whatever it was, I could feel it in my toes. I tossed about, trying helplessly to fall back asleep. Beads of sweat rose suddenly on my forehead. A sharp chill hit me. My teeth clattered, my body shuddered. Then things got bad. I bolted for the bathroom.

A man who drank from a soft drink bottle containing dissolved cocaine was in a coma Saturday, while federal officials discovered two other tainted bottles and checked possible links to Colombian drug smugglers. Drug traffickers frequently smuggle cocaine by dissolving it in liquids, officials said.

Until his two young daughters became seriously ill after eating contaminated hamburgers at a nearby Jack in the Box restaurant, Joseph Dolan of Kent, Wash., never doubted that any meat was fit to eat. Meat is inspected by the government, he knew, stamped with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's seal of approval. "You just assume everything is safe," Dolan said.