Motorists in Naples faced fuel shortages and queues at the few petrol stations that still had supplies during a truckers' blockade, according to reporting by Il Mattino.
With pumps running dry, some drivers attempted to transfer petrol or diesel from containers into their vehicle tanks using rubber tubes, drawing fuel through by suction. Il Mattino reports that the practice led to accidental ingestion of small quantities of fuel.
20 Calls to the Cardarelli Poison Control Centre
According to Il Mattino, 20 people contacted the Poison Control Centre at Naples' Cardarelli hospital over two days after ingesting small amounts of fuel.
The report describes most of the cases as mild ingestion, with patients generally asymptomatic and without significant effects. Five of the cases involved patients who went to emergency medical services or were advised to contact them.
Medical Advice
The Cardarelli centre advises seeking specialist medical attention if ingestion is followed by vomiting, headache, or dizziness.
The available reporting does not provide a breakdown of the 20 cases by fuel type, age, location, or clinical outcome beyond that general description, and no independent corroborating source was available for the reported incidents.
