As of: February 4, 2024, 3:08 p.m
By: Alina Schröder
Comments
Press
Split
A three-year-old collapsed unconscious after a “slushy.”
He suffered glycerin poisoning.
(Symbolic image) © Manfred Segerer/Imago
The drinking ice cream, popular with children, puts a three-year-old's life in danger.
The mother had to take everything seriously and is now warning other parents about slushies.
Port Glasgow – With its bright colors, it particularly attracts the little ones: the slush ice cream – also called “slushy”.
For most parents, there is often no way around such a stand at folk festivals, amusement parks or shopping centers.
However, very few people realize that the sugary iced drink can be life-threatening, especially for children.
Victoria Anderson from Scotland also had to experience this in a shocking way.
Mother shares horror story: Her son (3) faints after slushy
The young mother will probably not forget January 4th, 2024 so quickly.
During a shopping trip, she bought her three-year-old son a red raspberry-flavored slush ice cream, she told the
New York Post (NYP)
.
“Angus had never had a slushy before.
That was his first time,” said the 29-year-old.
But shortly afterwards the boy behaved strangely.
“We walked around the store for a bit and when I turned around I heard him groaning again,” said the mother.
At first she thought he was "throwing a tantrum", but then Angus' behavior suddenly changed.
“When I looked, his eyes were in 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 arrived within a very short time to help the now unconscious child.
Anderson told
NYP
that the three-year-old's blood sugar levels had dropped significantly, so paramedics took him to Glasgow Children's Hospital.
“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced,” said the Scottish woman.
“I was afraid he would die.” Even an emergency injection in the leg didn’t help.
Boy had glycerin poisoning - these are possible symptoms
After about two hours there was relief: Angus came to, but was still in a daze from his fainting for a while.
When the doctors asked the mother what the boy had eaten and drank that day, she told them about the slushy.
And with that they had apparently found the cause of Angus' seizure: "The doctors said the slushy caused glycerin poisoning," Anderson told the US newspaper.
My news
Stone avalanche thunders onto the Brenner motorway in South Tyrol - several cars hit
Police are faced with a mystery in Austria: Fire brigade finds three dead people with gunshot wounds in a burned-down apartment
Study shows dozens of illnesses in 2023 – warning to Croatia vacationers
Huge crack causes the steepest ski slope in the Alps to collapse - read “Never seen before in 30 years”.
Mountain in motion: traditional Tyrolean farm evacuated
Rock fall in South Tyrol: Another rockfall thunders just past the Brenner motorway - read “Great luck”.
Glycerin is a sugar alcohol, but is also used as a sweetener, for example in chewing gum.
It is also used as a humectant in tobacco, especially for water pipes, as the German Additives Museum informs.
But slushies also contain large amounts of glycerin, which makes the drink so dangerous for children.
Researchers have already urgently warned against high consumption of sweeteners, as they can also harm internal organs.
Boy had glycerin poisoning - these are possible symptoms
It is not the first incident in Scotland after a slushy: two children collapsed after a drink in 2021 and 2022.
The authorities then adjusted the recommended amount of glycerin for the sweet drinking ice cream for the entire United Kingdom in the summer of 2023.
In addition, retailers should no longer sell this to children under the age of four.
This has been set by the Food Standard Agency.
In Germany, however, the additive listed as “E422” is considered harmless.
There is no recommended maximum amount here.
The following symptoms may occur after taking high amounts of glycerin:
states of intoxication
Headache
Blueness
Kidney pain
Bloody diarrhea
Source: German Additives Museum
“Will never buy slushies again”: Mother warns other parents about colorful iced drinks
Anderson said she was shocked 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 told
NYP
.
She now wants to use her story to warn other parents about the drink, which is popular with children.
“This could happen to any child at any age,” said the 29-year-old mother.
But she goes much further with her demand: “I think slushies should be banned entirely or at least there should be a warning sign.” In any case, she will “never buy slushies again.”
Chips can also be dangerous for children and young people - there was recently a warning about the “Hot Chip Challenge”.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked.
Find out more about our AI principles here.