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Methane-laced alcohol is suspected to be the cause of death of four foreign tourists in Laos’ popular backpacker destination Vang Vieng.
Here are some facts:
What is methanol poisoning?
Methanol is a toxic alcohol used in industrial and household products such as antifreeze, photocopier fluid, de-icer, paint thinner, varnish, and windshield wiper fluid. Colorless, flammable, and with a similar odor, it can be easily confused with its molecular cousin ethanol, which is commonly found in alcoholic beverages. But methanol is poisonous to humans, making exposure or ingestion extremely dangerous if untreated.
According to the Methane Institute, the global trade association for the industry, drinking just 25-90 ml of it can be fatal. It is absorbed by the intestine in less than 10 minutes, but patients may appear normal for the first 12 to 24 hours after administration. This will be followed by nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain, followed by hyperventilation and difficulty breathing.
Partial or complete blindness from methanol poisoning is common, and if left untreated, it can lead to coma and even death. However, at low doses, prompt diagnosis – within 10–30 hours of ingestion – and treatment can reduce severe symptoms. People with suspected methanol poisoning should immediately consult a medical toxicologist or poison center.
So far, an Australian woman, two Danish nationals and an American have been confirmed dead due to suspected methanol poisoning by drinking spurious liquor.
How does it get into beverages?
Accidental poisoning can occur after drinking cheap home-made wine or contaminated wine. But methanol is often deliberately added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol. This is especially the case in countries where the price or taxes on legal alcoholic beverages may be considered too high.
Unscrupulous businesses or individuals may add industrial methanol to alcoholic beverages to increase their potency. Purchasing and consuming canned or bottled alcoholic beverages from trusted retailers is safer and less likely to be adulterated than drinks mixed at bars.
How common is it in Asia?
It is difficult to estimate the number of victims of alcohol poisoning or “manol cocktail” each year. On their travel advisory websites for Laos, authorities in the United Kingdom and Australia have warned their citizens to beware of methanol poisoning when consuming alcohol in Laos. In neighboring Thailand in August, at least six people died and more than 20 were hospitalized after drinking illicit liquor laced with methanol.
In India, where there is a thriving moonshine industry, a batch of illicit liquor laced with methanol killed 63 people and blinded several others in a southern city in June. Popular tourist destinations in Malaysia and Indonesia have also seen mass deaths from methanol poisoning in recent years, with the majority of victims being foreigners. Alcohol consumption is increasing across Asia and the world, with Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam seeing a 40-90 percent increase between 2010 and 2017, according to a study by The Lancet.
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