Police clear Sprite of mercury poisoning
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A teenager who previously claimed to have been poisoned after drinking a can of Sprite, has confessed that he poisoned himself on Jan. 17, said Beijing police Thursday after a two-month investigation.
A 13-year-old boy surnamed Wang from Tongzhou district of Beijing admitted Wednesday that he ate mercury from a broken thermometer out of curiosity, Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau said in a statement.
Wang was afraid that his parents would scold him so he put the remaining mercury in a Sprite can and claimed that he was poisoned after drinking it, police said.
Police began investigating the case after receiving the report by the boy's parents on Jan. 17.
A similar case was reported on Nov. 7, 2009 in Beijing. A 21-year-old man, Ma Sai, claimed he was poisoned by mercury after drinking a can of Sprite in a restaurant in Xicheng District. But it turned out that his lover, Liu Xiaojing, 28, had poisoned him. Even though Ma found this out right after the incident, he kept it secret until police discovered the truth on March 15. The pair have been detained by police for questioning.
Coca Cola, producer of Sprite, said in January that the company had a stringent quality management system, and its products were safe and in line with China's food and drink safety standards.
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