TV Presenter Odetta Schwartz Suffers Severe Chemical Burns in Home Accident
Israeli TV presenter Odetta Schwartz revealed on Avi Shushan's podcast that she suffered severe chemical burns at home from household drain-clearing acid, sharing details of her painful recovery.
Renowned Israeli TV presenter and journalist Odetta Schwartz experienced a terrifying and severe incident at her home about four months ago, which resulted in an emergency evacuation to the hospital. While attempting to clear a clogged drain, a highly corrosive household acid spilled onto her body, causing severe chemical burns.
In a candid and revealing conversation on Avi Shushan's podcast "Everything is Open" (Hacol Patuach) on Maariv, Schwartz recalled the moments of terror and the immediate physical self-care she performed in the critical first seconds.
Seconds of Fire
When host Avi Shushan asked her to describe the sensation the moment the chemical agent made contact with her skin, Schwartz detailed the intensity of the pain:
"It was a fire. A burning like nothing else. It felt as if someone was using a flamethrower on me. My saving grace was that I had resourcefulness; I didn't waste a single second. I jumped into the bathroom and spent 20 minutes under running water with my clothes still on, spraying myself with lukewarm water."
Schwartz later learned that her intuitive reaction was medically correct:
"I found out later that what I did intuitively was the right thing, because cold water is forbidden—it would close the pores and lock the acid inside. Hot water is also forbidden. The clothes simply fell off me in shreds, they completely disintegrated."
A Comedic Moment Amid the Horror
Schwartz shared that the first person she turned to for help was her cousin, who was staying with her at the time. However, the cousin went into shock:
"She was probably in shock. When I came out, I told her, 'I need an emergency room right now.' She grabbed her head—a moment of dark comedy inside this horror—and screamed, 'My blood pressure is rising, I have sharp pains in my head!' until I yelled back at her, 'Shut up, this is not about you right now, I don't want to hear what is happening to you, I need an emergency room!'"
The Painful Recovery
Following her hospitalization, Schwartz faced a complex and painful rehabilitation process that lasted for weeks:
"I would sit in the bathtub for an entire hour with a bottle of water, a plastic chair, and just scream."
During the episode, Shushan admitted his anxiety prior to meeting her, but praised the presenter's immense mental strength. When asked about her choice to end the episode with a song of thanksgiving, Schwartz confirmed that the experience had only strengthened her spirit.
