KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A UMKC professor says it is possible copper piping is to blame for the recent outbreak of illnesses at Mi Ranchito restaurant in Lenexa, Kan.
Restaurant officials say the pipe in the soda machine caused 20 people to become sick on Sunday.
They claim the carbonated water caused a chemical reaction in the copper tubing after it backed up.
Deb O'Bannon, an associate professor of Engineering at UMKC, said carbonated water contains a high amount of acid and could cause something called Carbonic Acid Poisoning, which can make a person sick.
"Copper would be one of the things you would have a much faster response to because it is all normal like an infection that needs to build in your body like food poising," said O’Bannon.
Restaurant officials say the water and copper are not intended to mix, but did so because the lines were not installed properly.
On Monday, Mi Ranchito restaurant had plumbers replacing copper pipes. Restaurant executives blame Sunday's sickness on the soda fountain.
At least six ambulances rushed to the restaurant. Customers were violently ill within minutes of sitting down.
This was the second incident at Mi Ranchito in just two weeks. Six customers became ill back on Aug. 11. The cause of that illness still has not been determined.
The restaurant remained closed Tuesday night.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture is investigating both cases.
