Mountain Dew can dissolve small animals

Question

Mountain Dew is a very popular drink, along with most other Pepsi products. However, the contents of the drink can have harmful effects, and not in the way that people usually would think. This article goes in detail about a legal case that Pepsi Co. faced in 2009, where a man from Illinois claimed he found a dead mouse in his Mountain Dew. Shockingly, Pepsi Co. had experts testify to say that the mouse would have "dissolved into the soda." The article was written on January 2nd, 2012.

Comments

I forgot to say, the article was written by The Atlantic, a multi-platform publisher that is (from what I can tell) a credible source. Information about the legal case was provided by the Madison County Record.

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I remember reading an article from a couple of years ago. The man's name is Ronald Ball. In his claim, he stated that he had opened a can of Mountain Dew and found a dead mouse inside. In PepsiCo's response, they argued that "the soda's acid would have dissolved the mouse before it reached store shelves, turning it into a 'jelly-like substance'." PepsiCo's defense team hired experts to support this claim, they found that it was possible for the mouse to dissolve within a couple of months. However, others have argued that there isn't enough acid in the soda to dissolve the mouse. The acids found in Mountain Dew are citric and phosphoric acid, which can erode bones and teeth over time.

I found my information both of these articles
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/no-easy-way-to-dissolve-mouse-in-mountain-dew-1.1190465#:~:text=A%20man%20in%20the%20U.S.,that%20Ball's%20claim%20is%20impossible.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-mountain-dew-really-dissolve/#:~:text=While%20published%20studies%20have%20not,It%20will%20be%20like%20rubber.%22

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You did a good job giving references to both sides of the argument with experts weighing in different opinions. I'm surprised that there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer to this question because it is easy enough to test if one simply tried it out. It seems clear that no, Mountain Dew would not fully dissolve a rat, but not entirely clear if it would dissolve it to a jelly-like substance like PepsiCo claims it would.

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When researching further, there seems to be many mixed reviews in different articles. Many do state that yes, Mountain Dew can dissolve animals, with claimed leading to the strong citric acid that softens teeth playing a role. It is interesting how many state that that "researchers say.." but there don't seem to be any forms of experiments done to fully test the theory. Others, such as Canadian food experts, state that it is the opposite, and animals can not dissolve with it. There seems to be no clear and blunt answer currently.

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When I did further research I found articles that stated that there is not enough acid in a can of Mountain Dew to begin the process of decomposing. Therefore the mouse couldn't have mouse couldn't have decomposed. I saw other articles stating that the mouse would have had to be in the can for a couple of months for it to start decomposing. I found my evidence for this claim here-https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/no-easy-way-to-dissolve-mouse-in-mountain-dew-1.1190465#:~:text=%22There%20would%20not%20be%20enough,at%20the%20University%20of%20Guelph.&text=%22The%20mouse%20would%20start%20to,acid%20to%20preserve%20the%20mouse.

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I liked that you gave references to both sides of the arguments, in which experts from both sides stated their opinions. I found it to be really surprising that there isn't a clear, definitive answer to this debate; as I feel that simply conducting an experiment, despite the questionability of its ethics, would confirm the answer. Based on your sources provided, it seems clear that Mountain Dew cannot fully dissolve a rat, but it is relatively unclear as to whether PepsiCo's claim that it would dissolve it into a gelatinous substance are true.

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I remember hearing about this. The mouse couldn't have dissolved because according to one of the quotes in the article t says it would've become a "jelly like substance" instead, so it seems like you gave a credible source to the claim.

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I found this claim very alarming and after reading further i'm glad this is being brought to attention. I remember seeing or hearing briefly about this on the internet but never really believed it. It's terrifying to hear the company itself coming out saying it should have dissolved as well as getting the opinions from others who state it would have turned to a rubber like substance. Both alarming none the less. I found this source credible to the claim.

Answer 1

The story cited claims that Mountain Dew completely dissolved a dead mouse that had been in the soda bottle for months, and came from a legal case where someone claimed that he found a dead mouse in his Mountain Dew. When this case became highly publicized in 2012, many news outlets investigated. Among these, for example, was Scientific American. they interviewed an expert at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, who said that the citric acid in Mountain Dew would indeed dissolve the bones and teeth of a mouse over several months, but would not dissolve the rest of the mouse. In other words, a claim that the entire mouse would be dissolved is exaggerated. (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-mountain-dew-really-dissolve/). Similarly, reporting in Chemical and Engineering News revealed that a veterinarian involved in the legal case who examined the mouse found that its bones and organs were all still whole and had not been dissolved; he did state that the acidic pH of the Mountain Dew would have destroyed all the calcium in the mouse's bones within 4 to 7 days, but would not dissolve the entire mouse (https://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i4/MouseSiphon-Brew.html). CBS News also reported on the likelihood of Mountain Dew completely dissolving a mouse and found it unlikely. Their report quoted court documents from the case that were consistent with the University of Rochester's expert, arguing that the mouse would have become a "jelly-like substance" rather than dissolving completely. CBS News further reported that an earlier lawsuit, in which a mystery substance was found in a can of Diet Pepsi, was likely the remains of a frog or toad - because that animal wasn't completely dissolved either (https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/pepsico-no-dead-mouse-found-in-mountain-dew-soda-would-dissolve-carcass/).

Answer 2

After researching further, I have learned the ingredients inside Mountain Dew do not contain enough chemicals or acid to dissolve a small animal. The animal would have the be in extremely poor condition for this effect to happen inside a bottle. Some researchers say the mouse would have to have been in the can for months for this to happen. Article linked here -https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/no-easy-way-to-dissolve-mouse-in-mountain-dew-1.1190465#:~:text=%22There%20would%20not%20be%20enough,at%20the%20University%20of%20Guelph.&text=%22The%20mouse%20would%20start%20to,acid%20to%20preserve%20the%20mouse.

Answer 3

Yes, there is a claim that Mountain Dew can dissolve small animals. No, this is not true, depending on how you’d define dissolve. For the purposes of this question, classify dissolve as “(with reference to a solid) become or cause to become incorporated into a liquid so as to form a solution.” In simpler terms, imagine the solid object having to completely dissolve. CBS news says that, according to court documents quoted by legal newsline, “the mouse would have become a ‘jelly-like substance…’” Furthermore, this was backed by CBS quoting; “It's not the first time the soft drink giant has faced an ugly lawsuit: federal regulators in 2009 said a "disgusting" blob found in a can of Diet Pepsi was probably a frog or toad.”

While none of the links work in the modern day, there are a variety of other news sources that dictate the same information, such as ABC news. Granted, in that article, it was definitely written with entertainment value in mind. As for the “frog in a can” incident, that was also written about in various articles, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 

I could not find transcripts of the case itself, so there is no primary source, sadly. However, regardless, it does not seem that small animals can be completely dissolved in a can of Mountain Dew. So if you find one in your drink, you’ll at the very least know. 

 

Sources:

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/pepsico-no-dead-mouse-found-in-mountain-dew-soda-would-dissolve-carcass/

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-09-04/dismembered-frog-found-in-pepsi-can/1416550

https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/01/mice-no-match-for-mountain-dew

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-09-04/dismembered-frog-found-in-pepsi-can/1416550