In 1900, more than 6,000 people in England were poisoned by arsenic-tainted beer, with more than 70 of the affected dying as a result. The food safety crisis was caused by arsenic entering the supply chain through impure sugar which had been made with contaminated sulphuric acid. The illness was prevalent across the Midlands and North West England, with Manchester being the most heavily affected.[1]
Originally misdiagnosed as alcoholic neuropathy, the main epidemic was only recognised after several months.[2] Additionally, investigation into the outbreak found other sources of arsenic in beer, which had been unknowingly poisoning thousands in decades preceding the outbreak.[2][3]
- ^ Dyer, Peter (2009). "The 1900 arsenic poisoning epidemic" (PDF). Brewing History. 130: 65–85. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ a b Copping, Matthew (2009). "Death in the beer-glass: the Manchester arsenic-in-beer epidemic of 1900–1 and the long-term poisoning of beer" (PDF). Brewing History. 132: 31–57. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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