Soft-drink manufacturer Coca-Cola says its products could have been intentionally contaminated with a toxic substance after reports that at least two people have been admitted to hospital in the past three months after drinking Sprite.
A 13-year-old boy was diagnosed with mercury poisoning after drinking a can of Sprite on January 17, The Beijing News reported yesterday. His father found a large amount of mercury in the rest of the soft drink.
On November 7, a Beijing man was also confirmed to have suffered from mercury poisoning after drinking a can of Sprite at a restaurant. He recovered in December after hospital treatment paid for by Coca-Cola.
The company said yesterday that it believed the toxic substance was deliberately added by a third party after the canning process, saying its manufacturing procedures fulfilled the country's food safety standards.
Li Huan , a spokesman from Coca-Cola's Beijing office, said it had ruled out the possibility that any mercury had been added by its staff or had leaked from machines.
'The two cases are still under investigation by police,' Li said. 'None of the machines on our production lines contains any mercury.'