A Belgian man’s drink driving charge was dropped by a local court on Monday after he was found to be suffering from a rare condition known as auto-brewery syndrome (ABS), which causes his body to produce ethanol, multiple news outlets report.
The 40-year-old man is a brewery worker according to his lawyer Anse Ghesquiere, who described his profession to Reuters as “another unfortunate coincidence.” He has been diagnosed with ABS by three different doctors.
The drink driving charge dates back to April 2022, when the police tested the man’s blood alcohol level and obtained a breathalyser reading of 0.91 milligrams per litre, which was over the 0.22 milligrams per litre legal limit in the country. One month later, another reading by the police returned a result of 0.71 milligrams.
[See more: Next-level mocktails: Where to find alcohol-free cocktails in Macao]
While the alcohol produced by the condition is reportedly no different from those that are consumed as beverages, a Belgian clinical biologist, Lisa Florin, told Reuters that those with ABS are less likely to be affected by the alcohol made in their body.
In acquitting the man, whose identity remains under wraps, the judge noted that he did not exhibit any signs of drunkenness at the time.
This is not the first time that the man has had a run-in with the law. He was fined and had his licence suspended in 2019 for allegedly drunk driving, even though he claimed to not have consumed any alcohol.
Ghesquiere said her client has yet to receive a formal acquittal notice. Meanwhile, the man is attempting to overcome ABS by adopting a diet that is low in carbohydrates, which encourages the endogenous production of ethanol.
