3-year-old Angus collapsed unconscious after drinking a raspberry slushy. His mother feared for his life for hours – and now wants to warn other parents.
Port Glasgow – You can find them in shopping centers, in amusement parks or at fairs: the slush drinks that are not only brightly colored, but also sugary-sweet – also called slushy. The drinking ice is an absolute hit, especially with children. Then it doesn't take long until the parents are persuaded to buy one for their offspring. However, very few people are aware that the “slushy” can also be particularly dangerous and even fatal. Victoria Anderson felt the same way.
Mother from Scotland shares horror story: her son (3) faints after slushy
She experienced absolute horror on January 4, 2024 after buying her son an ice cream slush. Like the Scottish woman from Port Glasgow opposite New York Post (NYP) She said she gave the cool raspberry-flavored drink to her three-year-old son Angus during a shopping trip. “Angus had never had a slushy before. That was his first time,” explained the 29-year-old.
Just a few minutes later, the boy behaved unusually and began to moan several times. “We walked around the store for a bit and when I turned around I heard him groaning again,” said the mother of two. At first she thought he was simply “having a tantrum.” But then she saw a frightening picture: “When I looked, his eyes were at the back of his head and he was having a seizure. He went completely limp,” Anderson said. She immediately screamed for an ambulance. “I thought I had lost him. His body became ice cold.” Paramedics came to the aid of the now unconscious child within a short time.
According to the mother, they discovered that the three-year-old's blood sugar level had dropped significantly and took him to Glasgow Children's Hospital. “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced,” Anderson told the NYP. “I was afraid he would die.” Even an emergency injection in the leg didn’t help.
Boy had glycerin poisoning – these are possible symptoms
But then came the relieving news: Angus came to again after around two hours. When doctors finally asked what the boy had eaten and drank that day, the mother told them about the slushy. Then everything became clear: “The doctors said the slushy had caused glycerin poisoning,” says Anderson. Glycerin is a sugar alcohol that gives sweets, cakes and chewing gum a particularly sweet taste.
It is also used as a humectant in tobacco, as the German Additives Museum informs. But the slushy also contains higher amounts of glycerin – which makes the drink a health risk for children. Even before the “Squeezies” that are popular with children warn experts.
The following symptoms may occur after taking high amounts of glycerin:
- states of intoxication
- Headache
- Blueness
- Kidney pain
- Bloody diarrhea
Source: German Additives Museum
“I will never buy slushies again”: Mother warns other parents about colorful iced drinks
In the United Kingdom, there has been a recommended quantity of sugar alcohol in colorful drinking ice since summer 2023. After two children collapsed after a slushy in Scotland in 2021 and 2022, retailers should no longer sell them to children under 4 years old. That's what she decided Food Standard Agency. The risk of glycerin poisoning is too high. In Germany, however, the additive listed as “E422” is considered harmless; there is no recommended maximum amount in this country.
Anderson said she was stunned when she learned about the dangerous additive in the slush drink that almost cost her son his life. “I had never heard of that before,” she said NYP. That's why she now wants to draw attention to this with her story and especially warn other parents. “This could happen to any child at any age,” said the 29-year-old mother. “I think slushies should be banned completely or at least there should be a warning label.” One thing is certain for her: “I will never buy slushies again.”
Eating snow is also not safe and can be dangerous for children. (asc)
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