A grandmother in Utah was hospitalized after tasting iced tea that was laced with lye, a chemical commonly used to clean cooking equipment.
A grandmother in Utah was hospitalized after tasting iced tea that was laced with lye, a chemical commonly used to clean cooking equipment.
On Sunday, 67-year-old Jan Harding had been dining at Dickey's Barbecue Pit in South Jordan when she sipped the tainted tea. Immediately her mouth started burning and she spit out the liquid.
Harding reportedly told her husband she thought she drank acrd. She was taken to the University of Utah Hospital's burn unit. Her condition is listed as critical.
Following the disturbing incident, the police were contacted. An analysis of the drink found that both tea and sodium hydroxide, or lye were present.
No criminal charges have yet been filed. As a result of sipping the chemical, Harding can barely move her head and neck and hasn’t been able to speak. Hospital staffers intubated her.
South Jordan Police Cpl. Sam Winkler stated “We are fortunate that it was a Sunday, that it wasn’t very busy. If someone had swallowed it, it could have been potentially fatal.”
