Mother calls for a ban on children's slushies after her son, 3, became 'intoxicated' and passed out within 30 minutes of drinking the ice-cold drink
A mother has issued an urgent warning about the sale of slushies to children after her son became 'intoxicated' before passing out after sipping the ice-cold drink.
Victoria Anderson, 29, from Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, Scotland, had taken her youngest son, three-year-old Angus, and an older sibling shopping on January 4.
Not long after the trio ventured out, Angus asked for a raspberry-flavored slushie after noticing the bright, pink-colored iced drink at a local corner store.
Without thinking twice, Victoria bought the drink for her son, who had 'never had a slushie before', only for the horror to unfold shortly after Angus downed the cold, sweet drink.
About 30 minutes later, while in another store, the three-year-old unexpectedly collapsed and fell unconscious, leaving a panicked Victoria fearing for his life.
A mother has issued an urgent warning about the sale of slushies to children after her toddler son suffered a 'seizure' before falling unconscious after sipping the ice-cold drink
Mom Victoria Anderson, 29, with dad Sean Donnelly, 29, and their sons Angus (left), 3, and Archie (right), 5
The mum-of-five said: 'After we had the slushy we went to another shop and Angus kept saying he wanted to go home.
'I thought he had thrown himself on the floor in a tantrum, but when I looked his eyes were in the back of his head and he was having a fit. He became as weak as anything.'
She added: 'I started shouting, 'Someone, get me an ambulance.' I thought I lost him. His body turned stone cold.”
The mother-of-five described how Angus' body was left limp and 'stone cold' as paramedics arrived on the scene and tried to revive the toddler, whose blood sugar levels fell dangerously low.
Angus was rushed to Glasgow Children's Hospital where he remained unconscious for two hours while doctors carried out tests to determine the cause of his episode.
Victoria said: 'He was unconscious for about two hours. It was the scariest thing I had ever experienced. He was doing well that day; there was clearly nothing wrong with him. There is no such thing in the family.
'I was afraid he was going to die, given the way he crashed, how limp he was and how unresponsive he was. They punched him in the leg and he didn't even flinch.'
Eventually, Victoria received news that the three-year-old was suffering from glycerol poisoning, which can be caused by consuming slushies.
Angus was quickly referred to Glasgow Children's Hospital, where Victoria was given the news that the three-year-old was suffering from glycerol poisoning – which can be caused by consuming slushies.
She said: 'They asked what he had eaten and drunk that day and I told them about the mud. The doctors said the mud had caused glycerol poisoning. His blood sugar levels were very low.
'It's not something I'd ever heard of before. There was definitely a connection with the slushy.”
According to the Food Standards Agency, slushies can contain glycerol as a substitute for sugar to create the slush effect.
Although glycerol is found in some other foods, it is added in much smaller amounts than in slush ice drinks.
If a child ingests excessive amounts of glycerol, it can lead to glycerol intoxication, which in turn can lead to headaches, nausea, shock, a 'drunkenness', hypoglycemia and loss of consciousness.
In the wake of the nightmarish experience, Victoria is now calling for a ban on serving slushies to children
The FSA chiefs based their recommendations on a 350ml drink, similar to those available in shops and cinemas in the UK (Picture: Getty)
It is advised that children under four years of age do not drink slushies as the effects of glycerol are related to body weight.
In the wake of the nightmarish experience, Victoria is now calling for a ban on serving slushies to children.
The mother said: 'I think slushies should be banned completely or at least there should be a warning sign for children under 4. But this can happen to any child of any age.
'I'll never buy slushies again. You just don't know what's in these drinks. I want to make as many mothers as possible aware of what can happen if you buy these drinks.'
This comes after the Food Standards Agency ruled last year that Tango Ice Blast drinks and slushies are 'not suitable for children under 4 years' and that free refills on drinks should be stopped.
As part of the new guidelines, they have warned cinemas, restaurants and shops to stop promotions such as 'free refills for children under 10'.