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Danny Mok

Hong Kong police have found no foreign or toxic substances in a brand of sports drink linked to 16 secondary school students who fell ill, saying the reported “pinholes” on the bottles are likely to be perforated lines in the plastic wrapping.
The update came a day after 16 students from Maryknoll Secondary School in Kwun Tong reported feeling unwell after drinking free bottles of “Scream” sports drink during lunch at an athletics meet on Tuesday at Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground in Wong Tai Sin.
The students complained of symptoms including dizziness, vomiting and diarrhoea.
A social media post had earlier claimed that pinholes were found on some of the bottles.
Officers from the Kowloon East regional headquarters were seen collecting bottles from rubbish bins near the venue for testing after a parent alerted police.
All 16 students, aged between 12 and 17, were discharged after treatment at United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong, Senior Superintendent Bruce Hung Ngan of Kowloon East regional headquarters said on Wednesday.
Hung said about 400 bottles were distributed by promotional staff as part of a brand marketing campaign on Tuesday.
Government laboratory tests found no signs that the bottles had been intentionally tampered with, while toxicology examinations detected no poisonous, abnormal or foreign substances in the samples collected.
Images circulated online earlier appeared to show liquid being squeezed out through small holes in the bottles.
“Our investigation at the scene [on Tuesday] found that the sports drinks had been kept submerged in iced water before distribution. As a result, iced water had accumulated in the gaps between the plastic bottles and their plastic labels,” Hung said.
“When the bottles were pressed or squeezed, the trapped water could seep out through the perforated tear lines, or even be sprayed out under pressure.”


The bottles had been stored in iced water before being handed out by promotional staff.
The perforations are a common package design to help with recycling and can be found on other bottled drinks.
He added that investigators had yet to determine why so many students fell ill, suggesting that factors such as strenuous physical activity during the athletics meet or food hygiene issues could have played a role.
The sports drink Scream is a product of Nongfu Spring, mainland China’s largest bottled water and drink company, founded in 1996 in Hangzhou. Tsim Sha Tsui-based Uni-China Group serves as its sole distributor in Hong Kong.
Uni-China said it appreciated the swift investigation by police and the efficient and thorough manner in which officers handled and clarified the incident, helping to allay public concerns.
The group added that the product was manufactured in a strictly controlled environment and had to pass internationally recognised quality and safety tests before leaving the factory.
The school earlier said the incident involved food safety concerns after free bottled drinks were distributed outside the venue during its athletics meet by individuals not associated with the school.
Hung also said investigators had no plans to check bottles of the same brand sold on the retail market.


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Hong Kong society

No toxic substance found in sports drinks linked to students’ illness: police

The drinks were handed out near the Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground. Photo: Handout



The students complained of symptoms including dizziness, vomiting and diarrhoea. Photo: Handout

The drinks were handed out near the Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground. Photo: Google Maps



Free sports drinks with suspicious pinhole marks leave 14 Hong Kong students ill

Ambulaces were called after the students fell ill. Photo: SCMP

39 pupils and staff fall ill after eating school lunches in Sha Tin

A supplier had provided lunchboxes to Baptist (Sha Tin Wai) Lui Ming Choi Primary School. Photo: Google Maps

Supplier to end classroom lunch portioning at Sha Tin school after 39 fall ill

The Centre for Health Protection said it was investigating a suspected food poisoning cluster involving 39 people. Photo: Sun Yeung

Baptist (Sha Tin Wai) Lui Ming Choi Primary School. Photo: Handout

News

Hong Kong

Society

Force says reported ‘pinholes’ likely to be perforated lines in drink’s plastic wrapping


Force says reported ‘pinholes’ likely to be perforated lines in drink’s plastic wrapping.


China

Hong Kong police

No toxic substance found in sports drinks linked to students’ illness: police

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Force says reported ‘pinholes’ likely to be perforated lines in drink’s plastic wrapping

Force says reported ‘pinholes’ likely to be perforated lines in drink’s plastic wrapping