Within seconds of tasting the drink 67-year-old Jan Harding’s mouth and throat started to burn. Jan spit out the tea, “I think I just drank acid.” reported.
Investigators said a Dickey’s employee mixed the chemical, “Clean Force Fryer Cleaner,” into the sweet tea drink thinking it was sugar; it has a similar appearance.
The cleaning product is sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, a caustic and dangerous chemical compound.
“It can cause pretty severe burns, potentially burn through the esophagus and cause some severe bleeding and internal injuries,” Dr. Spencer Smith said, who works in the emergency room at the U hospital.
Is this something that was stored improperly? Was it an accident? Was it intentional? We really don’t know,” South Jordan Officer Sam Winkler said. “That’s why our investigators are looking in on this case.”
I am suspicious. Just a thought.