Tainted Ecstasy may Have Caused Recent Deaths in BC

B.C.'s chief coroner has said that the five recent deaths linked to tainted ecstasy may be isolated incidents or could be the beginning of something big.

Five deaths caused in the last six months have been linked to PMMA or paramethoxy-methamphetamine in ecstasy. Coroner Lisa Lapointe said that it was not so clear whether the contamination was in one batch or not.

"It could be just the tip of the iceberg. There could be thousands and thousands of pills out there with PMMA," Ms. Lapointe said. "That's the worry. We just don't know. It's an illicit substance."

She added that PMMA could have been accidentally introduced in the ecstasy during the manufacturing process, but until further clarity is available, there is no way to ascertain this premise. It is estimated that there are at least 20 deaths caused by ecstasy in British Columbia each year.



Source: Medindia