Several elementary school students were taken to the hospital today after ingesting nicotine lozenges.
According to a statement from Chicago Public Schools, the students were taken from Wendell E Green Elementary School in the Longwood Manor neighborhood on the city’s south side to a nearby hospital.
The statement said the lozenges were brought to the school by a student. The Chicago Tribune reports 16 fourth grade students suffered nausea and upset stomachs.
The lozenges are to help adults quit smoking. Police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli tells the Chicago Tribune the students thought they were candy.
4 Comments to “Elementary students taken to hospital after ingesting nicotine lozenges”
February 20, 2013 at 4:27 PM
Any word on exactly how many quit smoking?
February 20, 2013 at 6:10 PM
Brace yourselves; Here comes ANOTHER thing about to be banned in Illinois thanks to ONE PERSON'S irresponsibility!
February 20, 2013 at 7:08 PM
im soorry for those people and classmates
February 21, 2013 at 3:17 PM
So one is to assume the child who brought them to school was told by a parent they were candy? Or did he grab it off a shelf in Wal Mart when his parent wasn't looking. They stock the nicorette gum and the lozenges out on shelves at a lot of stores, I'm glad they got sick, the amount of nicotine in those waasn't enough to hurt them seriously. That's why they don't really help people kick the smoking habit.