The 71-year-old man from China started drinking gasoline 42 years ago under the belief that it could cure his chest pain caused by a severe cough.
But soon, Chen Dejun was addicted to the fuel and has to drink 3 litres of gasoline every month.
Living by himself in a shabby thatched cottage on a hill in Shuijiang township of Chongqing, the short and bony man buys the petrol from a gas station at the foot of the hill.
Chen, known locally as a stonecutter and master of weaving bamboo with a good business sense, developed the habit of drinking petrol in 1969 when he suddenly began coughing badly and felt pain in his chest.
Seeing no progress after taking some medicine, he tried the folk remedy of drinking kerosene, Chongqing Evening News reported.
It turned out to be helpful for him after the first sip and he drank kerosene for a while before moving on to gasoline.
Chen said it is hard to calculate exactly how much gasoline he has drunk over the years, but the newspaper estimated the amount to be about 1,500 liters. Sources from Honglou Hospital said Chen’s health is fine despite having symptoms of emphysema (lung disease).
Feng Fu, an associate professor with the Second Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, said Chen might have developed some resistance to gasoline.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for the old man to be alive, Feng said.
He said gasoline may only work as an anaesthetic for Chen but cannot cure his chest pain.
-With China Daily input
