More suspected cases of poisoning due to the consumption of soft drinks have emerged in Croatia. A total of 34 people from different parts of the country have so far visited medical facilities due to symptoms, Croatian media reported on Thursday. Most had mild symptoms; Tissue damage was found in only a few affected people. The initial analyzes of the beverage samples showed no irregularities.
The samples of the affected Römerquelle brand mineral water in Rijeka had neither an acidity nor a metal concentration above the permitted value and were not expected to cause pain in the oral cavity, esophagus and stomach, the Croatian State Inspectorate said. The analyzes were carried out by the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ). The Coca-Cola samples from Zagreb were also declared harmless to health. The determined pH value could not cause a corrosive effect and the other parameters examined also correspond to the prescribed values, the regulator said.
Further studies are pending
However, the HZJZ only examined further samples taken from the same places where the suspected corrosive drinks were consumed, Hina news agency reported. The bottles from which the two victims drank are now being examined by the Center for Forensics of the Croatian Ministry of the Interior.
According to the Health Ministry, two people are being treated for suspected poisoning, one in Rijeka and one in Zagreb, media reported. Other affected people treated at ten hospitals in different parts of the country are said to have mild symptoms including pain and redness in the oral cavity and esophagus. Injuries extending into the tissue were found in only four of the 34 people affected. In addition to Rijeka and Zagreb, where the most suspected cases were, those affected also visited medical facilities in Split, Karlovac, Čakovec, Virovitica, Varaždin and Vinkovci.
In the worst case with severe burns to the esophagus
The most serious case is the first known case from Rijeka, where severe burns to the esophagus in a young man were attributed to flavored mineral water from the Austrian brand Römerquelle. He had consumed the drink in a café. The case of a student in Zagreb who drank a Coke from a vending machine at his faculty is also publicly known. Although he does not appear to have suffered any serious consequences, his bottle is reportedly under forensic examination.
Source: Krone
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