Toxic Trick or Treating: Halloween Candy Myth Lives On

By aaroncynic in Miscellaneous on Oct 28, 2009 7:40PM

Every Halloween we’re treated to warnings from media, police and elected officials about “suspicious” candy handed out by nefarious adults. If you’re not afraid to ask strangers for candy yet, you clearly haven’t been paying attention to more than 30 years of perpetuated myths about poisoning. The Tribune reports the DuPage County Police department will assuage public fears this year by using its high tech crime lab facilities to test suspicious candy local residents drop off. [Ed's Note: No word if this extends to religious literature, like that a neighbor used to hand out to us instead of candy. Jerkstore... - M.G.]

The crime lab will be available for 48 hours from Saturday until Monday afternoon. John Collins, the crime lab director, will facilitate the screenings but said he doesn’t expect candy to be more dangerous this year. Of course, claims of Halloween candy poisoning have turned out to be false and other claims of tampering have been very rare. But if you it makes you feel safer before your kid downs enough Snickers fun bars to fuel a sugar rush that could kill a small horse, go for it.