Lipovce Mayor: Free Salvator Mineral Water Supply Suspended Due to Excessive CO2

Lipovce, 15 November (TASR) - The management of a company called Mineralne vody (Mineral Waters) has decided to close off the free supply of Salvator mineral water in the village of Lipovce in Presov region, village mayor Jan Satnik told TASR, adding that over the past year there have been cases of poisoning and even fatalities due to the high concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the free supply. "Recently, these unfortunate events have accumulated, and the company management decided to temporarily suspend the free supply until the ventilation of the spring is resolved technically. When there is low pressure in the air, CO2 accumulates there, stays at the bottom of the pit [surrounding the pipe], and people who are unaware of this take two or three breaths and collapse. If there is no one to help them, they die, suffocating," said Satnik. According to him, a man fainted there about a week ago. "He was trying to get out of the pit. Workers who were nearby saw him and helped him. He survived, but in mid-September, a man went there on Sunday morning to get water. Unfortunately, he was alone and didn't survive. Last year before Christmas, three men went there, and they survived because they got help," said the mayor, expressing his belief that the problem will be resolved soon and that the spring will be reopened to the public. am/df/jrg