This Sunday, the well-known Aragonese musician Enrique Bunbury, famous mainly for his career as head of the band Héroes del Silencio, explained in an interview with the media Associated Press that after undergoing various medical tests, he finally knows the reason for his problems with his voice: a glycol intolerancethe chemical used in the artificial fog so common in musical performances.
What is glycol
As collected Heraldthis explains the fact that the musician was only affected by his voice problems on stageand that on the other hand outside of it he was perfectly, as he referred.
According to the same medium, glycol is a synthetic chemical compound obtained from the reaction of water with ethylene oxide. Its name, which comes from the Greek language, means ‘sweet’, due to one of the most obvious characteristics of this product, which is its flavour. It is transparent, does not produce odor, and has a low molecular weight; In addition, it can be dissolved in other organic compounds.
According to its type, glycols can have different applications. Some can be used to make polyester, vehicle antifreeze, lubricant, plasticizer, excipient for the cosmetics industry, and preservative for personal care solutions such as creams and perfumes.
Glycol in concert fog
In this case, however, the glycol that was causing the singer’s symptoms used in artificial ‘fog’ machines used in musical shows. Generally, these devices are produced by vaporizing water mixed with glycol.
In some people, long-term exposure can cause symptoms such as eye irritation, hoarseness (voice problems), throat discomfort, or even more serious problems such as asthma or bronchitis in people who a priori do not suffer from any relevant respiratory disorder. However, cessation of exposure can achieve the disappearance of symptoms, so knowing the cause can facilitate Bunbury’s return to the stage.
