Health officials say that a woman and her unborn baby are okay after she drank a powerful cleaning product instead of the latte she ordered at a Lethbridge McDonald’s but they want to know what went wrong.
Sarah Douglas picked up a latte in the drive-thru and was stunned after she felt a stinging, burning sensation in her mouth when she took her first sip.
“The feeling of the moment that I felt in my mouth was an immediate reaction of a burning, fuzzy feeling. My tongue felt fuzzy and my mouth felt kind of numb.”
She immediately returned to the store and informed management about the problem and soon learned that the machine that made her drink had still been hooked up to cleaning equipment.
Douglas then contacted poison control and they took steps to monitor her symptoms.
“If I was to develop shortness of breath or breathing difficulties or swallowing difficulties, to make sure I went to the hospital.”
She’s been lucky and hasn’t suffered any symptoms but wants people to know about the preventable mistake.
“My fear is that a child could have been a victim to such an issue. I’m just glad it has come to this so that we can make people aware and hopefully make a change for the better.”
The franchise’s owner has been in close contact with Douglas and her family and has apologized, saying they are taking action to review cleaning procedures at the location.
AHS says they are investigating the complaint and a health inspector has gone to the restaurant.
(With files from CTV Lethbridge’s Zayn Jinah)