Blood sample tubes sold as sweets by Thai school kids, sparking outcry
A startling revelation has come to light regarding mysterious tubes filled with pink liquid being sold to primary school children as sweets at a shop near their school. The tubes are used for collecting blood samples in hospitals. This alarming situation was brought to attention by parents on the Facebook group Don Chedi. Following this, a renowned medical technician, Parkphum Dethusdin, took to his Facebook page ‘Doctor Lab Panda’ to explain the gravity of the situation.
In the original post by the concerned parents, they sought clarification about the nature of these tubes, which their children claimed were sweets. One of the parents mentioned that after inquiring about the origin of these tubes, they were carefully packed up and disposed of by a teacher. A photograph of the blood sample tubes was also shared.
Upon seeing this post, Parkphum felt compelled to clarify what these tubes were.
“This is a blood sample tube. When we go to the hospital for blood tests, they use tubes of various colours. Each type of tube contains different substances. For example, the red plastic tube contains a substance called Serum Clot Activator to speed up the clotting of blood. In most cases, it is silica.”
He stressed that these blood sample tubes should “not be eaten” as silica is not food. Furthermore, he warned of the potential risk of infection if these tubes, which might have previously contained blood, were found lying around and played with by children. He strongly advised against using non-food containers for food, reported Sanook.
Following his post, more parents joined the conversation, confirming that they had found similar tubes in the mystery boxes their children had purchased. At the same time, several others questioned how blood sample tubes, which should be used in hospitals, could be easily purchased online.
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