The Nation - News from March 30, 1986

Officials of Procter & Gamble and the Food and Drug Administration said they had no evidence to support an anonymous caller’s claim that he had used cyanide to poison capsules of a pain reliever. “Because of the hoaxes and tampering that have occurred in recent weeks,” said FDA spokesman Jack Martin, “our advice to consumers remains that they should examine non-prescription products for breaks in the package or unusual appearance or color.” The caller told Procter & Gamble’s consumer-information telephone service that he had placed cyanide-filled capsules of a pain reliever in Walgreen drugstores in Chicago and Detroit. However, the caller gave a non-existent lot number for the medication he claimed to have tainted. Also, Walgreen does not have stores in Detroit.