Poison panic grips U.S.A.

Press, 19 October 1982, Page 17

Poison panic grips U.S.A.

NZPA Washington Poison panic is starting to grip the United States since seven people died in Chicago last month after taking cyan-ide-laced capsules of extrastrength Tylenol, a top-sell-ing pain-reliever. Since then would-be copycat killers have been making themselves felt. Last week a man in Colorado burned his eyes by using drops mixed with hydrochloric acid, and a tourist was admitted to hospital in Clearwater, Florida, after he had spat out an acid-spiked mouthwash bought in a local store. Florida health authorities have warned against using Visine eye-drops after four women complained that the product had burned their

eyes, although tirst analysis of the drops showed them to be absolutely normal. In this atmosphere of fear produced by reports of poisonings, real or imaginary, Americans — with the encouragement of the Federal Food and Drugs Administration — are now starting to think twice before buying non-prescription medication from self-service stores. In New Zealand, the Health Department has completed tests on about half of the Tylenol capsules handed in after poisoning scares in the United States. No trace of either cyanide or strychnine were found even though the department tested capsules in the same batch as some found to be contaminated : with strychnine in California.