Sixteen teenagers felt unwell on Tuesday, after consuming the free drinks handed out by a company outside Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground as part of a promotional campaign.
Senior Superintendent of East Kowloon Hung Ngai said the students reported vomiting, diarrhoea and dizziness, but all have since been discharged from hospital.
“In our investigation, we found no evidence of anyone deliberately piercing these plastic bottles,” he said.
“We also tested the contents and found no abnormal substances, and no unknown liquids had seeped into the drinks.”
Hung explained that the bottles have a tear‑off label design, with two dotted lines made of tiny holes to help consumers remove the label for easier recycling.
He added that the bottled drinks had been chilled in an iced bath before being handed out.
When squeezed, water that had accumulated between the bottle and the label could squirt out through the tiny holes, creating the false impression that the packaging had been tampered with.
Hung said there were many possible reasons the students felt unwell, including intense physical activity at the athletics meet.
He said they would continue to review the students’ past health, what they ate that day, and whether the plastic containers used for the ice bath were hygienic.
