It's still out there
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday confirmed the "mysterious" jelly-like rolls found around the country at the weekend - which some speculated might have been extraterrestrial beings - were in fact sheets of a gel used to reduce fevers in children.
FDA deputy secretary Manit Arunakul said the rolls were fever-cooling sheets of gel that had been soaked in water for one to two hours. They are generally placed on children's foreheads to relieve fever and are made of 70 per cent propylene glycol and gel-forming substances.He said, after learning of the mysterious objects turning up around the country, he conducted an experiment on a common fever-breaking gel sheet, which produced something that looked very much like what graced the pages of newspapers yesterday and Sunday. Manit went on to say the gel sheets were not harmful, unless they were swallowed whole and dry, which might cause them to swell in the stomach, possibly blocking the intestines. He said heat could be used to dissolve the gel and warned against disposing of the stuff in waterways, because it could take months to dissolve and cause blockages. Local news media reported last week that "worm-like" creatures had begun turning up in wash tubs and basins in various locations, including Uthai Thani, Bangkok, Phrae and Khon Kaen, all within a space of about four days, prompting authorities to investigate.
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