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Review content:
Lenexa restaurant blames carbonated drinks for illness
By JOE LAMBE
The Kansas City Star
Posted on Mon, Aug. 31, 2009 10:54 PM
Kansas officials are still trying to confirm what sickened about 20 people at a Lenexa restaurant Sunday, but restaurant managers are blaming the carbonated drinks.
Jennifer Bustos-Gomez, restaurant director of operations for Mi Ranchito, said tests there Monday morning indicated that the diners suffered from carbonic acid (deleted). The problem is caused by carbonated water for soft drinks getting backed up and making contact with copper tubing, she said, causing a chemical reaction that led to the (deleted).
Copper and carbonated water are not intended to mix, but they did because the lines were not properly installed, she said, and workers are fixing it.
However, Maggie Thompson of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said not all those who got sick had a carbonated drink.
“We can’t say that’s the cause yet,” she said. “They are looking at the water and the ice as well.”
It was the second time in less than a month that people at the Mi Ranchito restaurant became ill with nausea, (deleted) and dizziness, and both were because of the water lines, managers said.
A round of tests related to those who became sick two weeks ago ruled out bacteria, but those tests did not look at the carbonic acid possibility, Thompson said. New tests are in the early stages.
Lisa Taylor of the Kansas Department of Agriculture said the restaurant would stay closed until tests prove what caused the illnesses.
To reach Joe Lambe, call 816-234-7714 or send e-mail to jlambe@kcstar dot com.
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Mexican restaurant in Lenexa closes after diners become ill
By Randolph Heaster
Posted on Sun, Aug. 30, 2009 10:42 PM
A Mexican restaurant in Lenexa closed Sunday night after more than 20 people fell ill while dining.
Ambulances arrived at the Mi Ranchito restaurant at 13000 W. 95th St. shortly before 6 p.m. after some customers complained of nausea, (deleted) and dizziness, said Dirk Fetterolf, a battalion chief for Johnson County Med-Act.
“The situation quickly started to escalate, and eventually 22 people became ill,” Fetterolf said. “Twelve of them were transported to three area hospitals.”
Fetterolf said that eventually nine ambulances from Med-Act and the cities of Overland Park and Lenexa were called to the scene, along with the county Health (deleted). A test determined that the restaurant’s air quality did not cause the illnesses.
An employee said the restaurant was closed while the Health (deleted) investigated. Other Mi Ranchito restaurants in the area will remain open, she said.
In June, regulators cited the Mi Ranchito in Lenexa for violations related to keeping food at unsafe temperatures and dried food on a mixer.
Randolph Heaster, rheaster@kcstar dot com
Posted on Sun, Aug. 30, 2009 10:42 PM
Pros: 9 Ambulances from Med-Act Arrived Quickly
Cons: Over 20 Cases of Severe Illness in 2 Instances in Aug 2009
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