She took a sip of the Brown liquid, voraciously anticipating the delightful warmth and sweetness of her daily cup of coffee. But all she got was a revolting taste in her mouth. The car was filled with a strong odor. Her mouth became as dry as sand in an instant instant, and the burning began. The flames crept lower down across her tongue and into her throat.
Her senses were screaming at her that she’d been poisoned. Her thoughts then turned to her unborn child. Sarah Douglas from Left Bridge, Alberta, had just dropped off her son at a baseball tournament. She was exhausted from having two active children and another on the way. As another wave of exhaustion hit her, she shuffled into the car.
She was eight months pregnant. Sarah sipped her latte slowly, allowing it to cool before taking a sit. She rolled her eyes as she remembered Stella Livecc’s infamous lawsuit against McDonald’s years before. For those who are unfamiliar with one of history’s most frivolous lawsuits, Stella had ordered a cup of coffee from McDonald’s, but spilled it in her lap as she drove away. She then sued McDonald’s for failing to provide a warning and actually won.
Stella, on the other hand, wasn’t the only one who had got more than she originally hoped for at McDonald’s. Mcdonald’s and other fast food diners serve large customer base each year. However, do we truly understand what goes into our food and drinks? Recently, fast food behemoths were forced to remove salads from their menus to the United States for a troubling reason. Sarah, though she didn’t realize it at the time, was about to go through something she’d never forget.
Mcdonald’s restaurants in Iowa and Illinois have been linked to cyclosporesis, a foodborne illness caused by an intestinal parasite. Over 100 people became critically ill as a result of the outbreak. Approximately one fourth of Illinois cases reported eating salads from McDonald’s in the days before they became ill, as per a statement released by the Illinois Department of Public Health. But Sarah had only ordered a coffee, so couldn’t she be protected? Countless people told her she was mistaken, that what she was doing to her innocent fetus was dangerous and ill advised.
People commented on her parenting choices everywhere she went. Unsolicited advice was given by friends, family, and even strangers. Her doctor advised her to limit herself to one cup of coffee per day. If she absolutely needed a pick me up, that’s exactly what she did. She had no idea that there was going to be severe ramifications.
She approached the drive through window and placed her order. She needed a cup of coffee to get through the day. She made her usual stop at McDonald’s. As she did every morning, she took a small sip of her latte. Once it had cooled enough for her to drink, she was now barrowing down the highway.
Her attention was fixed on the road. What she should have been focusing on was the strange taste in her cup of coffee. She began to notice something strange as she swirled the warm liquid around in her mouth. Her lips began to have a prickling sensation, then burned. Her tongue became numb as a result of this.
But what was the issue with the coffee? Sarah wondered at first if the pot had been left out overnight and had started turning bitter. That didn’t explain the unsettling sensation she was experiencing. Sarah quickly turned on her hazard lights and came to a stop. Was this a reaction to something?
The burning and tingling in her mouth only got worse after a few minutes. She snatched a bottle of water for the pasture seed and shoved it into her mouth. Her throat and tongue felt like they were on fire. Sarah swished the cool water around in her mouth, rinsing it out. She then lifted the lid off the coffee and took a deep breath.
Her eyes began to water almost immediately. She then noticed a strange odor. What are the McDonald’s staff putting her coffee and how risky was it? Sarah was 32 weeks pregnant, but she wasn’t tired any longer. She was enraged.
She reversed her car and drove back toward the fast food restaurant. Were they intending to do it? She was going to tell them exactly what she thought of them, but more importantly, she wanted to know what was in her coffee. Once Sarah showed up holding the infringing coffee and asked to speak to the manager. The cashier at the front counter could tell she meant business by her posture.
The supervisor came in from the back and explained that the manager was out of the office. When we saw her face, he knew something significant had occurred. Sarah removed the lid from the coffee and thrust it into the face of the oblivious supervisor, and there was no denying that there was something inside that wasn’t supposed to be there.
He stuttered that they would gladly replace it for her at no additional cost, but his training had not equipped him for a situation like this. Sarah was irritated that she’d been duped so quickly and that they thought a replacement coffee would make things right.
She didn’t want another cup of coffee, and the strange substance was still tingling her tongue. She was looking for answers. The employee had a clue about what could have been induced Sarah’s negative reaction when she sipped her latte and it turned out to be far more threatening than she could have envisioned. He’d realized something connected to the coffee machine and informed Sarah of it, and the supervisor’s face had turned pale. The supervisor accompanied the employee to the coffee machine to examine it.
To his shock and horror, he discovered that the cleaning fluid lines installed during the machine’s daily cleaning were still connected to the coffee machine. The hose is then reattached to the milk supply after the machine had been flushed. Sarah’s latte, on the other hand, contained a dangerous cocktail of cleaning chemicals instead of milk. Sarah was shocked when the supervisor returned to explain what had happened. She demanded to see the bottle of cleaning fluid immediately, and the supervisor granted a request on the label of the bottle.
There were several warnings, including keep out of reach of children. She took out her phone and dialed the poison control center listed on the label. Sarah was informed by the poison control center that the cleaning fluid was acidbased and potentially deadly, and she was advised to watch for any signs of poisoning. Fortunately, all she felt was a burning sensation in her mouth. Despite the fact that the burning and tingling in her mouth didn’t go away for the next 45 minutes, she didn’t need to go to the hospital.
Sarah stated that upon closer inspection of the coffee cup and fortunately, Sarah did not suffer any long term effects from the contaminated coffee, even though she did say that it took a couple of days for the smell and taste to exit her mind. Sarah received an apology from the franchise’s owner, Dan Brown,
shortly after the disturbing incident, explaining that McDonald’s is renowned for its food safety protocols and they were sorry that this happened in the restaurant here in Lethbridge. They reacted quickly to reconsider appropriate cleaning processes with the team and added additional signage as a reminder.
In 2015, Reserve Officer Paul Watkins drank an iced tea from the self service station to McDonald’s. Noticing that it appeared darker than usual, he removed the lid from the dispenser before dismissing his intuition.
He took a large gulp, but his mouth and throat began to burn. He quickly turned to the girl behind the counter and told her that something was wrong, but it was far too late. It turns out that McDonald’s employees been cleaning the lines of the iced tea dispensers that day, but had forgotten to cover the nozzles with a paper cup to keep customers from drinking heavy duty degreaser from his squad car. Paul immediately called his wife, Jerry Lynn Watkins, and told her that his throat was burning all the way down to his chest. He said that he felt as if he had just ingested bleach.
Paul was then rushed to the I You Health Methodist Hospital, where he remained under observation for the night. He has sensed experienced severely from the longterm effects of drinking McDonald’s heavy duty degreaser. It’s concerning that the cases of unintentional poisoning with cleansing fluid at McDonald’s don’t end there. Since then, Paul Watkins has had difficulty swallowing and a slew of gastrointestinal issues. He had never drank, smoked or used drugs, as his wife stated.
After hearing Sarah Douglas’s story, another man came forward. He realized that there was a chemical in his coffee. As Corey Irwin of Red Deer recalled, he could feel his tongue going numb. He then photographed what was left of the chemical laden liquid and reported it to McDonald’s employees. Corey was informed that his complaint would be continued to escalate and that the situation would be resolved.
He was shocked to learn that Sarah Douglas had received cleaning fluid in her coffee only a few months later. It’s disheartening that there have to be changes come down from high where he explained in an interview, the cleaning agent Sarah Douglas and others drank contains citric acid phosphoric acid methyl Trimethyl three and two, butoxethanol it causes severe eye irritation.
As the label warns, it’s possible that an allergic skin reaction will occur. Wear gloves and eye protection. It also States that if it comes into contact with the skin it should be instantaneously washed with water.
Sarah’s main goal was to raise awareness. As told the Calgary Eye opener she wanted to keep an eye out for the children who were passing through McDonald’s following the disturbing incidents. Food inspectors will be keeping a closer eye on McDonald’s dispensing machines.
According to a spokesperson, they’ve been exploring the reports of both Sarah and Corey, but have found the dispensers to be satisfactory upon investigation. Cory expresses his concern as well, insisting that the cleaning fluid at McDonald’s drinks is a serious issue that requires immediate attention.
Even though he knew he wasn’t in much danger because he didn’t swallow enough, he explained, however, he could only imagine that if the concentration had been higher it could have burned his throat severely.
Cory has stopped ordering drinks from McDonald’s early in the morning. Since his perilous experience, this ensures that he doesn’t have to spend time cleaning. He also stated that he now smells his coffee before tasting it to ensure that it’s not tainted. So what do you guys think of this story?