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Woman says liquid nitrogen-infused cereal bought at mall kiosk made her sick

Posted at 8:12 PM, Jun 29, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-30 13:53:09-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis woman who suffers from asthma says a cereal infused with liquid nitrogen that she bought at a mall kiosk made her sick

Brenda Stailey and her 18-year-old daughter thought it looked like fun, so they bought some of the "Dragon's Breath" cereal for $5.40 at Circle Centre Mall.

It's called "Dragon's Breath" because you can blow smoke like a dragon when you eat it.

"It was fun, but I didn't know it would almost kill me," Stailey said.

There is a warning sign posted that says the cereal snack is made with liquid nitrogen, but Stailey says she didn't see the sign before she ate it.

She bought the cereal on Saturday and went to the doctor on Monday.

"He thought I was gonna die. He said I could have died from it. I couldn't complete a sentence. I'm still affected by it. I'm using a nebulizer. He's got me on steroids," Stailey said.

Scripps' Indianapolis affiliate WRTV has learned that the owner of the kiosk which operates under the name of Sweet Ice Indy LLC did not have a license to operate and has been shut down.

"We license and inspect all retail food establishments. This one was operating without our review and without making sure everything was safe for the public. That's why it is important they register with us, let us know what their operation is. We review their menu to make sure they are safe," Jannelle Kaufman with the Marion County Health Department said.

Stailey says she doesn't want what happened to her to happen to a child.

"My biggest fear is that a child is gonna come in that has asthma, and it is gonna kill 'em," Stailey said.

The health department says it has not received any official complaints from customers.

Scripps' Indianapolis affiliate WRTV reached out to the owner of Sweet Ice Indy LLC, Artunc Dilek. He says not obtaining a license was a misunderstanding. He says he expects to be up and operating again when the inspection process is complete.