Three people ordered draft beer at three different taverns in the same U.S. county and got something far more dangerous. In each case, a caustic cleaning solution left in the tap lines ended up in the glass, and months later they were still dealing with esophageal damage, altered taste, and trouble swallowing.
The cases are described in a report published in February in Case Reports in Gastroenterology by authors from the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Nevada, Reno. The authors, who thanked the Southern Nevada Health District for its collaboration, call the hazard largely unrecognized and blame gaps in regulatory oversight and enforcement.
