Councillor and licensing chief tried nitrogen cocktail that left teenager in serious condition (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Councillor and licensing chief tried nitrogen cocktail that left teenager in serious condition
1:44pm Monday 8th October 2012 in News
A young councillor and licensing chief in a city where a teenager needed an operation to remove her stomach after consuming a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen has said that he has also tried the drink.
Gaby Scanlon, 18, began feeling breathless after having the drink in Oscar's wine bar during a night out with friends in Lancaster city centre on Thursday.
She developed severe stomach pain and was taken to Lancaster Royal Infirmary at about 11pm.
Medics diagnosed her with a perforated stomach and were forced to perform emergency surgery to remove the organ, Lancashire Police said.
It is understood that Miss Scanlon, from Heysham, was out celebrating her 18th birthday.
She remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition, the force said.
Paul Aitchison, chairman of Lancaster City Council's Licensing Act Committee, said that he was at the same bar a few months ago and tried the Nitro Jagermeister drink.
Mr Aitchison, who at 20 is one of the country's youngest councillors, said: "I heard about this story this morning and I was quite shocked because I have actually tried it myself. It was quite scary to think that it could have possibly happened to me.
"I thought it sounded interesting, that's probably one of the draws. You assume the drinks served in licensed premises will be safe.
"I didn't have an adverse reaction to it. Unfortunately Gaby has and my heart goes out to her and I hope that she gets better."
The committee will be discussing the issue, he said.
"I am sure they are allowed to sell the drink. I am pretty sure that there will now be a national debate on the safety of liquid nitrogen."
Police say they are investigating the incident.
A number of witnesses at the wine bar are being interviewed by police and the premises has stopped selling drinks containing the chemical.
A Lancashire Police spokeswoman said: "Medical opinion is that this would have proved fatal had the operation not been carried out urgently.
"The investigation is still in its early stages and we are still interviewing witnesses to establish the full facts.
"The premises involved have fully co-operated with all agencies and have suspended drinks involving liquid nitrogen."
Comments(11)
Lakeland2010
says...
8:10pm Mon 8 Oct 12
craggy
says...
7:50am Tue 9 Oct 12
Lakeland2010 wrote:Starting a sentence with a coordinating conjuction such as 'or' is very poor grammar, the commas are also ill-placed. Throwing stones in glass houses is also to be avoided. Now spend several minutes examining this post for grammatical errors!
It's only a hard to read sentEnce if you can't read. Or, indeed, spell.
zaney5
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8:14am Tue 9 Oct 12
craggy
says...
9:25am Tue 9 Oct 12
zaney5 wrote:How very judgemental. The fault here is surely with the bar owners and not an innocent teenager who has done nothing more than purchase a drink in a licenced premises. I remember when certain young people used to plaster themselves in black make up, if you developed a skin rash from some dodgy eye liner would that be your own fault Zaney?
Would these idiots drink a bottle of bleach if it came with a straw and umbrella? Sheer stupidity.
onelocal
says...
9:51am Tue 9 Oct 12
Liquid nitrogen has two properties of concern, it's extreme low temperature
(below minus 196 degrees C) and the high partial pressure of nitrogen gas, which means that a very small quantity of liquid nitrogen will expand into a very high volume of nitrogen gas (600-700 times the volume) creating a very high pressure in an enclosed space.
The effect that either of these properties may have on an individual is nothing to do with their tolerance to adverse reactions, but wholly related to the time the drink is allowed to stand, ensuring the liquid nitrogen has evaporated. (Buying and chugging two cocktails at a time, as reported, won't help here). It also has other properties, in that it can reduce oxygen present in an enclosed space, causing asphyxia, or condense oxygen leading to an explosion hazard.
Liquid nitrogen is a dangerous substance which requires special handling, protective clothing and certainly should not be allowed near anyone who might be under the influence of alcohol.
tictoc1
says...
12:58pm Tue 9 Oct 12
What a terrible thing to happen to such a young person. Wishing you a speedy recovery Gaby. xx
zaney5
says...
2:13pm Tue 9 Oct 12
craggy wrote:So lets hope the bar in question gets prosecuted. It IS a terrible thing to happen, don't get me wrong, and I feel for the girl totally. But people really have to start taking reponsibility for their own lives.
zaney5 wrote: Would these idiots drink a bottle of bleach if it came with a straw and umbrella? Sheer stupidity.How very judgemental. The fault here is surely with the bar owners and not an innocent teenager who has done nothing more than purchase a drink in a licenced premises. I remember when certain young people used to plaster themselves in black make up, if you developed a skin rash from some dodgy eye liner would that be your own fault Zaney?
tictoc1
says...
2:40pm Tue 9 Oct 12
zaney5 wrote:Unfortunately, it is legal to sell and the drink is popular as it's a gimmick, it looks like the drink is smoking. "people really have to start taking reponsibility for their own lives." she was celebrating her 18th birthday, where is your heart? Have you never tried something different? Done something for "fun"?
craggy wrote:So lets hope the bar in question gets prosecuted. It IS a terrible thing to happen, don't get me wrong, and I feel for the girl totally. But people really have to start taking reponsibility for their own lives.zaney5 wrote: Would these idiots drink a bottle of bleach if it came with a straw and umbrella? Sheer stupidity.How very judgemental. The fault here is surely with the bar owners and not an innocent teenager who has done nothing more than purchase a drink in a licenced premises. I remember when certain young people used to plaster themselves in black make up, if you developed a skin rash from some dodgy eye liner would that be your own fault Zaney?
Guanajuato
says...
4:15pm Tue 9 Oct 12
WilliamT
says...
9:51am Sat 13 Oct 12
Ben Berry says...
6:12pm Mon 8 Oct 12
and this is a very hard to read sentance:
"A young councillor and licensing chief in a city where a teenager needed an operation to remove her stomach after consuming a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen has said that he has also tried the drink." :-/