Product Tampering

Poisoned Tylenol.

With their chalky consistency, pills are difficult for some people to swallow. Traditional over-the-counter pain relievers in a round shape often seem to stick in the throat and sometimes make taking the pill seem as unpleasant as the headache. Drug manufacturers thought they had solved the problem with their invention of gelatin capsules—two tubular shapes that fit together, enclosing the medicine, that slipped easily down the throat with a sip of water. But in 1982 disaster struck when seven Chicago-area residents died after taking Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules that an unknown person had laced with cyanide.

Copycat Poisonings.

The incident led to a rash of copycat poisonings of other food and drug products, including Extra-Strength Tylenol laced with strychnine in California, mouthwash tainted with hydrochloric acid in Florida, and cold medicines, allergy remedies, and appetite suppressants...

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