Thai bus conductor faints after smelling durian brought on board by passenger
September 14, 2023
A Thai bus conductor fainted after reportedly experiencing an allergic reaction to the smell of durian while on the job in Bangkok.
What happened: On Friday, Kussama Srisong mentioned the incident on Facebook. In her post, she shared that she struggled to breathe and felt her chest tighten after smelling durian. The driver of the bus she was on had to stop the vehicle, which resulted in a delay for all the passengers onboard.
“Please let the bus company know when you bring durian onto the bus, because it’s not just you who might not continue on. There could be many others who will return home late because of you,” she wrote.
Srisong also shared a photo someone took of her after she fainted in the bus.
The aftermath: The bus conductor received help from two women she called “sister Lek” and “sister A,” who took her to the hospital. She also reportedly received help from other passengers in the vehicle.
Although she has mostly recovered, she told Thai media outlet Thairath that she gets sudden bouts of dizziness sometimes.
What caused the reaction?: Since Srisong did not eat any durian, it is more likely that she is allergic to sulfur. Durian has a high sulfur content, so it is possible that she fainted after smelling the fruit due to sulfur allergies, as reported by AsiaOne.
In May, Bangkok’s Mass Transit Authority announced that durian is a “public nuisance” and is no longer allowed on buses because of its strong smell.
Srisong told Thairath that anyone who enters a bus with durian in Bangkok is asked to leave. The scent of the fruit, however, can linger in the air and, in Srisong’s case, potentially cause a severe reaction.
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