Boy sickened after drinking Dairy Queen shake contaminated with chemicals

THORNTON, Colo. -- A Colorado mother says the vanilla milkshake her son got from a Dairy Queen was tainted by a cleaning solution.

She ended up taking the boy to the hospital after he said his tongue was burning.

Mother Lisa Chase said she is still pretty shaken up after getting more than the vanilla shake she ordered for her son.

“They could’ve cost people their lives with this,” Chase said.

Riley Chase had the shake and said, “something was like bubbling on my tongue.”



“You couldn’t even taste the ice cream in it, it tasted like you were drinking a very strong cleanser, then the burn started instantly,” the mother said.

The vanilla syrup container also contained floor cleaner and degreaser concentrate, a strong cleaner containing sodium hydroxide that when ingested can cause burns, vomiting and shock.

And while her son is already feeling better following a trip to the hospital, the mother is worried others may not have been as lucky.

“They need to be held accountable for what they’re doing,” Lisa Chase said.

CNN affiliate KMGH reported that the owner of the Thornton Dairy Queen says the incident was a terrible accident.

One employee was soaking the vanilla syrup container in the cleaner when another employee picked it up, thinking it was clean and filled it with the syrup.

The owner says he has contacted the health department and poison control — and both employees involved have been written up for not following proper procedure.