Terribly burnt mouth and gullet – Majka (18 years old) had drunk concentrated comb disinfecting liquid

It was a hot summer afternoon. Majka was on her way home, going back from the hairdresser’s where she had just started apprenticeship. Suddenly she realised that she had left her telephone at the hairdresser’s. Fortunately, the shopping arcade was still being cleaned, and Mrs. Genowefa let her in. Majka easily found her telephone on the dressing table with a mirror. It was stuffy and hot inside. Oh, she would give a lot for a mouthful of orangeade! She searched the tool cabinets. In one of them there stood a transparent bottle with brown liquid. I am lucky – she thought. – Someone had left some tea. I will only have a few sips…

Majka did not return home. She felt unwell. It started with a strong burning sensation in her mouth and throat, and soon after she felt nausea. Mrs. Genowefa called an ambulance.

Majka had drunk concentrated preparation used for disinfecting hairdressing tools – a hazardous chemical substance. After first aid was provided, she was taken to hospital. As a result of consuming the liquid, she suffered chemical burns of the mucous membrane in her mouth and throat.

It is absolutely unacceptable to keep a concentrated preparation – a hazardous chemical substance in a generally accessible place, in an unlabelled bottle. At the hairdresser’s there was neither a list of particularly hazardous substances, nor a safety data sheet with regard to the one consumed by Majka. During initial training, the apprentice had not been informed of hazards connected with chemicals used at the hairdresser’s.