«She was taking a dog from the Odra River, her hand skin was irritated». The doctor explains how the salinity of the river affects our health

Information on the contamination of the Odra River caused great anxiety among the inhabitants of towns located by the river. Some of them have come into contact with water in recent days, which has irritated the skin. They talked about their ailments with the doctor on duty in the Poznań hospital, Dr. Eryk Matuszkiewicz. The internist and toxicologist told us about the symptoms the patients reported and what they were asking. Other doctors, including from Szczecin.

1. To dr. Matuszkiewicz came from, inter alia, a patient whose dog was “bathing” in the Oder river. As she pulled it out and washed it, she saw that the skin on her hands was irritated and red
2. Most of the symptoms reported by people who came into contact with water were minor allergic reactions, but the doctor urges you to avoid swimming in the river.
3. – We definitely shouldn’t go into that water. We do not bathe in it, do not download it, do not check whether it is really dangerous or not – he warns
4. It is still not known what is the cause of the contamination of the Odra River. Official reports show that the river has been found to be highly saline
5. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

Patients from the Odra River report symptoms of an allergic reaction

Dr Eryk Matuszkiewicz is an internist and toxicologist. Works at the Municipal Hospital of Franciszek Raszeja in Poznań. On Friday (August 12) he was on duty, which turned out to be a bit different than usual.

— I received a few phone calls from people who had contact with the water from the Odra River and reported allergic reactions. They manifested a burning and reddening of the skin, which patients described as a tingling sensation, a feeling of pinching the skin. They were concerned, confused, they asked what it meant, what did it mean, whether it was dangerous, the doctor reports.

When asked how the contact with water came about, patients described mundane, everyday events. One of the patients was by the river and washed his soiled hands in it, on which redness appeared later. A lady called also, who took a dog from the Odra River, playing in the river, by the shore, and after washing it, her hand skin was irritated.

Doctors also contacted the Poznań facility, incl. from Szczecin. They wondered if they should somehow prepare for the influx of patients – They asked whether to buy drugs that were to chelate mercury, because its high concentration in the Oder was first mentioned. I think that it is definitely too early for all of this – says Dr. Matuszkiewicz.

The rest of the text below the video.

Salt compounds can also be irritating

Reports of mercury compounds in the river, which appeared in the media just before the weekend, have not been confirmed. Research into the cause of the contamination of the Oder is still ongoing. So far, high salinity of the river has been found. This may be a hint, according to the doctor.

– Of course, salts are chemically very different compounds. Some, such as sodium chloride, or table salt, have a neutral effect, but there are also some that will affect the skin and irritate it. The high salinity of the water means that freshwater fish are not able to survive in it, because they are adapted to living in inland water, where the salt concentration is not as high as in the sea. I am able to believe that if the fish are dying, anyone who comes into contact with this water may have a skin irritation reaction. If contact is intense and / or prolonged, or if someone has sensitive skin, an allergic reaction or even wound formation may occur. – believes the expert.

Although the symptoms resulting from such a reaction are not serious (although they may be painful and persistent), Dr. Matuszkiewicz calls for caution.

— We definitely shouldn’t go into that water. Let us not bathe in it, let us not download it, let us not check whether it is really dangerous or not – warns.