Latest news with #drinkSpiking
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This temporary tattoo could warn you if your drink has been spiked
For decades, 'protect your drink' has been one of the foundational unofficial rules of nightlife. The threat of unwittingly consuming a date-rape drug looms so large that steps to combat that risk have become a routine part of any night out. There are even new products designed specifically to defend against having a drink spiked. That level of diligence is, unfortunately, necessary. While the nature of date-rape drugs makes it hard to track how frequently they are used, evidence suggests that millions of people are sexually assaulted every year after consuming drugs they took involuntarily. Researchers in Korea have come up with a simple and effective idea that they hope will give people an easy new way to protect themselves. It's a temporary tattoo that can instantly detect the presence of one of the most common date-rape drugs from a single drop of a suspect drink. The tattoo is made with a mix containing a chemical receptor that reacts to even tiny amounts of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) — an odorless, tasteless drug that is often used in what authorities call drug-facilitated sexual assault. When the tattoo comes in contact with GHB, it changes color from yellow to red, providing a clear indication within one second that a beverage has been tampered with. There are other products on the market that can be used to test drinks for GHB, along with other date-rape drugs like Rohypnol and ketamine, but they are difficult to use discreetly and can take up to five minutes to provide results. Someone wearing one of the tattoos, on the other hand, could easily dip their finger into their beverage, touch the tattoo and know right away whether it has been tampered with. All this can be done in secret because the tattoos can be made in any shape, so their true purpose won't be obvious to the people around you. The researchers behind the tattoos hope their innovation will one day provide a 'proactive and accessible solution' that will allow people to easily and subtly protect themselves. According to a study published in the scientific journal ACS Sensors, the tattoos were consistently able to detect small amounts of GHB — as little as 0.01 micrograms in 1 milliliter of liquid — in a variety of beverages, including whiskey, vodka, beer, coffee and soju (a popular Korean alcoholic drink). The tattoos could also prove useful after an assault has occurred, the researchers say. Authorities often struggle to determine whether a victim consumed a 'spiked' drink because common date-rape drugs stop being detectible in someone's system within a few hours and often can only be verified by a professional lab. But the tattoos can display a positive result for up to 30 days, which the researchers say 'could be important if it's needed as a form of evidence of tampering.' So far, the tattoos have only been tested with GHB, but the researchers say the same system could likely be used to detect other drugs if different chemical receptors are added. It's unclear when the tattoos might be available to the public, but the researchers said a commercial product could be on the market soon because the tattoos are inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This temporary tattoo could warn you if your drink has been spiked
For decades, 'protect your drink' has been one of the foundational unofficial rules of nightlife. The threat of unwittingly consuming a date-rape drug looms so large that steps to combat that risk have become a routine part of any night out. There are even new products designed specifically to defend against having a drink spiked. That level of diligence is, unfortunately, necessary. While the nature of date-rape drugs makes it hard to track how frequently they are used, evidence suggests that millions of people are sexually assaulted every year after consuming drugs they took involuntarily. Researchers in Korea have come up with a simple and effective idea that they hope will give people an easy new way to protect themselves. It's a temporary tattoo that can instantly detect the presence of one of the most common date-rape drugs from a single drop of a suspect drink. The tattoo is made with a mix containing a chemical receptor that reacts to even tiny amounts of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) — an odorless, tasteless drug that is often used in what authorities call drug-facilitated sexual assault. When the tattoo comes in contact with GHB, it changes color from yellow to red, providing a clear indication within one second that a beverage has been tampered with. There are other products on the market that can be used to test drinks for GHB, along with other date-rape drugs like Rohypnol and ketamine, but they are difficult to use discreetly and can take up to five minutes to provide results. Someone wearing one of the tattoos, on the other hand, could easily dip their finger into their beverage, touch the tattoo and know right away whether it has been tampered with. All this can be done in secret because the tattoos can be made in any shape, so their true purpose won't be obvious to the people around you. The researchers behind the tattoos hope their innovation will one day provide a 'proactive and accessible solution' that will allow people to easily and subtly protect themselves. According to a study published in the scientific journal ACS Sensors, the tattoos were consistently able to detect small amounts of GHB — as little as 0.01 micrograms in 1 milliliter of liquid — in a variety of beverages, including whiskey, vodka, beer, coffee and soju (a popular Korean alcoholic drink). The tattoos could also prove useful after an assault has occurred, the researchers say. Authorities often struggle to determine whether a victim consumed a 'spiked' drink because common date-rape drugs stop being detectible in someone's system within a few hours and often can only be verified by a professional lab. But the tattoos can display a positive result for up to 30 days, which the researchers say 'could be important if it's needed as a form of evidence of tampering.' So far, the tattoos have only been tested with GHB, but the researchers say the same system could likely be used to detect other drugs if different chemical receptors are added. It's unclear when the tattoos might be available to the public, but the researchers said a commercial product could be on the market soon because the tattoos are inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- BBC News
Police in Manchester boost nightlife patrols to keep women safe
Plain clothes police officers are to patrol streets, bars and nightspots as part of a force drive to keep women safe from sexual predators and will be backed up by extra uniformed police officers in Manchester city centre as part of Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) Safer Streets initiative."I don't any woman to be a victim particularly of rape and other offences - we want women to feel safe and to be safe," said Supt Nicola Williams, who is responsible for the city said it hoped to reduce sex attacks, spiking, harassment and voyeurism in the city further, after the first phase of the scheme cut by half the number of rape incidents reported between December 2023 to March 2025. Government funding for the scheme, which covered Deansgate and Peter Street, is set to finish. But GMP's city centre division has been given £500,000 from force funds to continue new money will see officers the scheme expanded to the Northern Quarter and Canal Street."We just cannot afford not to fund this operation," said Supt added: "It is important we do everything we can in a partnership to tackle those issues." GMP is working with Manchester City Council, the University of Manchester, and pub and club owners to tackle violence against woman and force has been involved in training staff who work in pubs, bars and clubs to spot potential problems such as drink-spiking and to increase reporting to the leader of Manchester City Council Joanna Midgley said the authority wanted to help make the city safe at night for added: "If women and girls don't feel safe then they are not going to come into the city."It is in the best interest of individual businesses to improve the safety of women and girls." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
