Photo for representative purposes only by aalexx / Getty
In a bizarre case that highlights the lack of sex education in India, a man died after using an industrial-strength adhesive as protection instead of a condom. According to the police, Salman Mirza, a 25-year-old from the Indian state of Gujarat, used epoxy adhesive – a strong waterproof glue generally used to bond metals, glass, concrete, ceramics, wood and plastics – to “seal off” his penis while having sex because he forgot to carry a condom. Police found CCTV footage of Mirza and his fiancée entering a hotel in the city of Ahmedabad on June 22. The next day, his friend found him unconscious in a bush near the hotel and then rushed him to a hospital, where he died of multiple organ failure. It was only after his family filed a police complaint that they realised what had happened. “They used to abuse a drug that involved a whitener and the adhesive, which is inhaled to get a kick,” a police official investigating the case told News18. “They used the adhesive to avoid pregnancy. Unfortunately, the adhesive damaged Salman’s organs, and he died due to multiple organ failure.”Mirza’s friends also told the police they believed he fell unconscious after inhaling the chemical concoction, while the condom substitute accelerated his deterioration. Police noted that the use of an industrial strength glue on a body part could have contributed to the death.“We are waiting for the report on the deceased’s viscera sample that has been sent for forensic examination,” deputy police commissioner Premsukh Delu told The Times of India. Health officials have warned that household items including sandwich bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and even balloons should never be used as condoms because they can cause infections and microscopic tears on the body. They now should probably add adhesives to that list. This wasn’t the first time someone thought of using glue on people’s genitals. In 2017, a chiropractor named Dan Dopps invented a “feminine adhesive lipstick” to shut off women’s vaginas during their periods in order to prevent leaks. It sparked widespread outrage not just for the ridiculous idea of “sealing” women’s labias, but also for its dubious claim that the glue could be washed off by urine but not by menstrual blood. Follow Shamani on Instagram and Twitter.
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