Sugary drinks, iced-flavoured thirst quenchers and ready made iced flavoured milk consumption which is a new trend in food among schoolchildren have a negative impact on their health, National Hospital Toxicology Centre Chief Dr. Waruna Gunathilaka said.
According to Dr. Gunathilaka, the sachets containing such drinks, are small in size and made of plastic. As there are no straws, many children drink the contents straight off the sachet. As this is not only unhygienic, it could pose other health risks as well. Many of these sachets carry a brand name or a manufacturer's name with other details printed in coloured inks and these inks contain toxic pigments.
Dr. Gunathilaka pointed out that when a child puts a sachet containing such coloured ink into his or her mouth, it could have an impact on his or her health as the pigments are toxic.
The National Poisons Information Centre (NPIC) has received several complaints from parents who said that after consuming the contents of these sachets, children have developed diarrhoea and vomiting, he added.
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