A 42-year-old Spanish man has been unable to ingest any food or liquids for three weeks after taking a simple sip of bottled sparkling water at a restaurant.
Pablo González, a 42-year-old businessman from Salvaterra de Miño, Spain, has been hospitalized in the city of Vigo since April 12, when he suffered a bizarre accident that has yet to be explained. After eating at a tapas-style restaurant with some friends, González ordered a bottle of sparkling mineral water along with a glass of ice and a slice of lemon. The water was a well-known brand, and the glass bottle looked properly sealed, from what he can recall, but what he can remember clearly is the burning sensation in his mouth mere seconds after taking his first sip of it.
Photo: Jez Timms/Unsplash
His reaction was immediate; he jumped out of his chair and, looking into the glass, saw that the liquid was yellowish. He took a sip of one of his companions’ Coca-Cola and ran to the restaurant’s bathroom to rinse his mouth. He recalls being “blinded” by the pain and needing the help of his friends just to stand up. As his symptoms weren’t improving even after drinking other liquids, an ambulance was called.
The ambulance immediately took Pablo to Povisa Hospital, where doctors could only confirm that he had suffered internal burns and try to alleviate the pain with painkillers. He told local newspaper El Faro de Vigo that his esophagus and stomach were so burned they were black, and that he only reason his mouth was less affected was because he had quickly rinsed it with water after that first sip of sparkling water.
For almost 15 days after the incident, Pablo González was unable to ingest any food or liquids. His stomach has been healing, but doctors say that his esophagus is still badly damaged. He took his first sip of water on April 28, but doctors still can’t say if he will make a full recovery or how long that will take.
As for the cause of the burns, it remains a mystery. Police checked surveillance footage for any foul play but have yet to find anything relevant, and they have managed to seize the bottle of mineral water for analysis. The bottle was apparently emptied before the police arrived, but traces of whatever substance may have caused Pablo’s burns should still be detectable.
The most probable cause is contamination of the bottle or ice glass with some sort of cleaning substance, although the owner of the restaurant excludes this possibility.
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