Man held over poison blackmail
By Wang Qingchu |
January 13, 2011, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
POLICE have detained a man alleged to have poisoned food in a supermarket in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Customers who bought food there have been urged to return it as soon as possible.
The suspect, surnamed Zhang, is believed to have poisoned the food on January 3 at a Trustmart Supermarket in the city's Haizhu District, according to a statement by the district government.
Bulk rice, fish, mushrooms, meatballs and noodles were found to be tainted after the 21-year-old man called the supermarket on January 3 and 4 demanding money, the statement said.
There are no reports of people poisoned so far, though bromadiolone and chlorophacinone, substances commonly found in rat poison, were detected in samples taken from the store.
The tainted food has been removed and police are trying to contact customers who bought 360 kilograms of rice and more than 10kg of other items.
The district government has urged customers to return the food for a refund and is trying to track down anyone who might have bought the affected items. It has also ordered hospitals to closely monitor the situation and designated two to handle any suspected cases.
People consuming rat poison can suffer nausea, dizziness, vomiting, abdominal pain or gum bleeds and other symptoms.
But cases are treatable and there should be no lasting effects after treatment.
If food is washed thoroughly, toxicity is significantly reduced, Cheng Jianding, an associate professor with the medical college of the Sun Yat-sen University, told Nanfang Daily.
Symptoms of poisoning in humans can take 3 to 10 days to develop and show, according to Cheng.
The suspect, surnamed Zhang, is believed to have poisoned the food on January 3 at a Trustmart Supermarket in the city's Haizhu District, according to a statement by the district government.
Bulk rice, fish, mushrooms, meatballs and noodles were found to be tainted after the 21-year-old man called the supermarket on January 3 and 4 demanding money, the statement said.
There are no reports of people poisoned so far, though bromadiolone and chlorophacinone, substances commonly found in rat poison, were detected in samples taken from the store.
The tainted food has been removed and police are trying to contact customers who bought 360 kilograms of rice and more than 10kg of other items.
The district government has urged customers to return the food for a refund and is trying to track down anyone who might have bought the affected items. It has also ordered hospitals to closely monitor the situation and designated two to handle any suspected cases.
People consuming rat poison can suffer nausea, dizziness, vomiting, abdominal pain or gum bleeds and other symptoms.
But cases are treatable and there should be no lasting effects after treatment.
If food is washed thoroughly, toxicity is significantly reduced, Cheng Jianding, an associate professor with the medical college of the Sun Yat-sen University, told Nanfang Daily.
Symptoms of poisoning in humans can take 3 to 10 days to develop and show, according to Cheng.
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