Chinese woman accuses tea shop of adding mercury to drink discovers boyfriend is culprit

A Chinese woman who accused a famous chain of milk tea shops of planting mercury in her drink was later found to be the target of poisoning by her boyfriend.The woman, surnamed Zhang, from central China’s Anhui province, initially complained online that a Chagee shop laced her drink with mercury granules.Zhang said her boyfriend bought the drink for her on April 27. The first few sips were fine, but later she felt little granules in her sips that “did not taste like tapioca bubbles”.She chewed on them and noticed that they were very tough. She spat them out and saw tiny silver slithers that she identified to be mercury.The woman found tiny metal slivers, like those above, in her cup of tea. Photo: WeiboShe called the shop to complain but the staff said it was “impossible for such thing to happen in our production process” and suggested that she should call the police.Zhang called the police and also notified a local consumer association.Zhang also shared the case online, and attracted public attention on food safety issues. Some also denounced the brand.The shop responded that it was taking the matter seriously, and would cooperate with the police and market regulators.Local officials intervened the next day and their investigation results shocked many on social media.The incident unfolded in a Chagee chain shop, like the one above in Shanghai. Photo: ShutterstockOn April 29, the investigation team announced that the Chagee shop’s ingredients and production procedures were all safe, and the “foreign matter” in the milk tea had been “planted by the buyer of the milk tea”.Further ReadingThe investigation team said they had arrested the suspect, collected the evidence and the case was under investigation.The announcement did not mention names or the poisoner’s identity.However, some recalled Zhang’s earlier story and set their mind that her boyfriend was the culprit.“This is an attempted murder,” one person said.“I knew the mercury must not have come from the shop. What would a shop keep that for?” said another.“Poor milk tea brand, taking the blame for nothing,” a third said.Zhang did not report health issues, but mercury poisoning can be fatal in serious cases.It is believed that people would suffer from acute intoxication when exposed to a mercury concentration of over 1.2mg per cubic metre.Symptoms of acute mercury poisoning include respiratory and digestive system damage, rash, chest pain, fatigue and diarrhoea.A group of young women, above, walking in a street in the southern city of Shenzhen carrying cups of milk tea. Photo: ShutterstockIn cases of chronic mercury poisoning, symptoms include neuropsychiatric disorders, tremors and kidney damage.In serious poisoning cases, mercury could cause multiple deadly organ failures.In China, regardless of the consequences, putting mercury in food is punishable by the Criminal Law, having committed the crime of spreading hazardous substances.Those who commit the crime face an imprisonment of three years to 10 years when consequences are not serious. Those who cause heavy losses could be given the death sentence.