Man fired for use of urine therapy

The Washington Post

Last modified: 8/12/2011 12:00:00 AM

A famed Austrian museum has fired an employee for washing his hands and face with his urine.



Alfred Zoppelt said he was fired after 23 years of working as an attendant at the Belvedere, a castle in Vienna with a major art collection. He said his adherence to urine therapy was 'never a problem.'



Zoppelt, 57, said yesterday his notice from Belvedere says he was fired because 'you regularly rub urine into your skin, particularly the face and hands. With this, you soil your place of work . . . and threaten the health of your co-workers.'



Believers in urine therapy claim medical and cosmetic benefits but these have not been proven.





