Caustic soda was indeed found in water at Grolsch
Investigation confirms visitors consumed water containing the corrosive substance during a tour.
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Caustic soda has been found in the water given to visitors during a tour of the Grolsch brewery in Enschede. This confirms that the visitors consumed caustic soda. How the substance entered the water has not yet been established.
The confirmation follows two days after nine visitors and two tour guides became unwell after a tour at Grolsch. They had drunk water offered as brewing water during the tour. All those involved have since been discharged from hospital, the NOS previously reported.
Caustic soda is a strongly alkaline substance used in industry, among other things, to clean pipes and equipment. It should not be present in drinking water. According to reports, its presence explains why the visitors developed symptoms after drinking it.
Grolsch is investigating with the authorities involved how the cleaning agent could have entered the water. Based on the information available, it has not yet been established whether this was an installation error, a mix-up involving pipes or another technical or organisational cause.
The brewery has told visitors that the production and safety of the beer were not affected by the incident. That distinction is relevant: the water was offered during a tour and, according to reports, was separate from the beer produced at the factory.
The tours and the provision of water are being investigated before it becomes clear whether and under what conditions the activity can resume. For visitors, the main thing is to follow instructions from the brewery and regulators. The incident in itself says nothing about the safety of other Grolsch products or about drinking water outside this location.
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The confirmation that caustic soda was consumed and that those involved have been discharged from hospital is consistent with recent NOS reporting. The cause of the contamination is rightly described as unknown.
- confirmed Caustic soda was present in the water visitors drank at Grolsch. — Reported in the recent NOS update. source
- confirmed Nine visitors and two tour guides became unwell. — The number was mentioned in the earlier reporting to which the NOS update refers. source
- confirmed The precise cause of the contamination has not yet been established. — Transport Online reported that the investigation into the cause was still ongoing. source
Editor's note
The presence of caustic soda has been incorporated as a new development. The precise technical cause and any responsibility have not yet been established.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „grolsch enschede”
- de Volkskrant — „grolsch enschede”
- RTL Nieuws — „grolsch enschede”