{
  "id": 9328344,
  "title": "No toxic substance found in sports drinks linked to students’ illness: police",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/no-toxic-substance-found-in-sports-drinks-linked-to-students-illness",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T11:51:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post-hong-kong",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3368538/no-toxic-substance-found-sports-drinks-linked-students-illness-police"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hong Kong police have concluded an investigation into 16 students from Maryknoll Secondary School who fell ill after consuming free bottles of \"Scream\" sports drink during a recent athletics meet. The students, aged 12 to 17, experienced symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, and diarrhoea following their lunch break. Police found no evidence of foreign or toxic substances in the drink, dismissing claims of \"pinholes\" as likely perforated lines in the plastic wrapping. About 400 bottles were distributed as part of the brand's marketing campaign on the day of the event. The bottles had been stored in iced water before distribution, causing trapped water to seep out through tear lines when pressed or squeezed. While the school stated the incident raised food safety concerns due to individuals not affiliated with the school distributing the drinks, investigators have not determined a definitive cause for the students' illness. They suggest factors such as physical exertion during the event or food hygiene issues may have contributed. Government laboratory tests found no signs of tampering, and toxicology examinations detected no harmful substances in the samples collected.",
  "summary": "Hong Kong police have found no foreign or toxic substances in a brand of bottled drink linked to the illness of 16 students from a secondary school in Kwun Tong, saying the reported “pinholes” are likely to be perforated lines in the plastic wrapping. The update came a day after 16 students from Maryknoll Secondary School reported feeling unwell after drinking free bottles of “Scream” sports…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "No toxic substance found in sports drinks linked to students’ illness: police",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/no-toxic-substance-found-in-sports-drinks-linked-to-students-illness-9333336",
        "published": "2026-09-23T11:51:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}