Despite low risk, paranoid parents scan Halloween candy

[The Straight Story]

Despite low risk, paranoid parents scan Halloween candy

CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Creating a colorful pile of wrappers, the medical center technician upends a basket of Skittles, Hershey bars, Twizzlers and other candy onto the bed of an x-ray machine.

Suzanne Mailler is demonstrating a procedure that will be repeated scores of times on Monday evening at the Chesapeake, Va., medical clinic Patient First.

Across America, paranoid or justifiably cautious parents will bring in their children's trick-or-treat goodies for screening. Their fear is that the candy given to their children by strangers will be laced with glass, metal or other foreign objects.

Community relations manager Ian Slinkman said Patient First is offering the free service at 37 centers in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, providing "something fun for kids" and "a little bit of peace and mind" for parents.


http://www.mnn.com/family/family-activities/stories/despite-low-risk-paranoid-parents-scan-halloween-candy

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. Are the parents billed $2000 for this service? That''s what the hospital would charge to

scan a human.

[Poll_Blind]

5. You know, I have a feeling I'm going to be thinking about that comment well into tomorrow.

There is some major truth in there.

PB

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Is it harmful to the candy?

It freaks me out when the dentist steps out of the room while he x-rays my mouth. I wouldn't want anyone x-raying something I was going to eat. Yuck.

[HappyMe]

16. I hope they get billed $2k for it.

Payment due for services rendered.

[krispos42]

2. *blink*

[Chemisse]

3. There was a lot of publicity about razors in candy when my kids were little.

So I inspected every single piece of candy for holes or punctures in the wrapping before they were allowed to eat any of it. Any unwrapped candy was tossed.

In retrospect I think this was mostly media hysteria, but I would do the same today. I'm not sure why a trip to the hospital for x-rays is necessary, but it is probably good PR for the hospitals and pretty impressive to small children.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. There has never been one case of a trick or treater poisoned

This is one of the silliest of all urban legends.

http://www.tampabay.com/features/parenting/poisoned-candy-turns-out-to-be-a-halloween-myth/1047841

[Logical]

12. The only one I know of was a parent poisoning their own kid in the 70s.

[DefenseLawyer]

9. It wasn't mostly hysteria

It was all hysteria. But Mikey from Life Cereal did die from having Pop Rocks and warm Pepsi.

[HuckleB]

14. It was all a hoax.

Nothing but media fed fear.

[Liberal_in_LA]

15. when I was a kid - it was poison in the Pixy stick. Those straws filled with powdered sugar

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Good parents don't need an x-ray machine.

They inspect and confiscate the best candy. :)

[tammywammy]

7. One of my nephews is allergic to peanuts

I love when I'm at my brother's house for Halloween, since all the delicious peanut candy is taken away from the boys. Mmmm, Snickers. :)

[gkhouston]

10. LOL, my kid is allergic to peanuts, so no candy until we've checked it.

Since we only hand out peanut-free candy and there's usually some left over, we swap any peanut candies she has with our stuff. I'm just waiting for the day she claims that some variety of candy she doesn't care for has peanuts in it, just to get a swap. :-)

[LiberalFighter]

11. Why do they take their kids to the homes of strangers?

[HuckleB]

13. I am just glad I don't have to bring a sick kid to these dufuses.

:wow:

[jayfish]

17. I scan my kids' candy.

...for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.