What was thought to be a carbonated drink turned out to be something else, and a man who wanted to quench his thirst made a grave mistake.
The man, who woke up with a hangover, grabbed a 1 litre bottle and swallowed some of the green liquid, without knowing that it was a toilet cleaner.
A Thai man dies after mistakenly drinking toilet cleaner
The unfortunate man only found out the nature of the liquid in the bottle after asking his relative, who told him that he had purchased a gallon of toilet detergent before dividing the cleaner into several soda bottles. The man, Nattawut, was immediately rushed to the hospital.
He was only prescribed some medicines, and the doctor allowed him to go home as he was still conscious.
Unfortunately, Nattawut went into shock about five hours later and died.
When he was still at the hospital, Nattawut was said to have been able to talk and was still conscious. It was after administering an injection that the doctor sent Nattawut home.
Why didn’t the doctor at least purge Nattawut’s stomach?
His sister was upset that the doctor did not at least clean Nattawut’s stomach before sending him home. However, according to the doctor, purging his stomach was not the best idea.
Buriram Provincial Public Health Officer Dr Pichet Phitkhuntod said that gastric lavage, or pumping the stomach, may cause the chemical to flow back inside the body. This may cause oesophageal ulcers and perforation.
In a worst-case scenario, a serious lung infection may happen if the chemical enters the lungs.
The doctor sent Nattawut home as he did not exhibit any worsening symptoms, and told his family members to bring him back should his condition worsen. However, in the event of death, public health officials are required to provide compensation and care for the deceased’s relatives, according to The Thaiger.
This shall serve as a reminder to check before you consume anything, especially when the food or beverage is not stored in its original container.
Also read: M’sian Woman & Her 9yo Son Die from Alleged Food Poisoning After Eating at a Wedding Reception
