Last week, six young tourists died — and a dozen others fell ill — after drinking adulterated alcohol in Laos. But what exactly is adulterated alcohol? How to protect yourself? We take stock.
• Also read: Fentanyl and illegal migrants: Is Donald Trump right to blame Canada (and its border)?
The news went around the world: two Australians, two Danes, an Englishwoman and an American died in Vang Vieng, a town in Laos popular with young tourists.
The two Australian tourists allegedly drank alcohol in a youth hostel before going out to party. The manager of the establishment has since been arrested.
In August, at least six people died and more than 20 others were hospitalized in Thailand after consuming alcohol adulterated with methanol, report France 24.
What is methanol (or adulterated alcohol)?
• Also read: In video: I climbed to the top of a legendary Montreal skyscraper with spider men
To begin with, adulterated alcohol is alcohol to which poor quality, impure or foreign substances are added, tells us the Office québécois de la langue française.
Methanol is a toxic alcohol used in particular in the manufacture of household and cosmetic products, paint strippers and windshield washer fluid.
In countries where contraband alcohol is produced, methanol can be added to drinks to increase their alcohol content at low cost.
Some traditional brewing methods can also result in methanol or ethanol being inadvertently produced, explains the British daily The Guardian.
What are the dangers of consuming methanol?
• Also read: Customs tariffs of 25%: 5 questions to better understand the threat from Trump (and its impacts for Quebec)
“This substance is not toxic in itself, but if ingested, it converts to highly toxic formic acid, which can lead to multiple organ failure, blindness, brain damage, and even death,” it says. Doctors Without Borders.
The problem, recalls the international organization, is that methanol, like ethanol, are colorless liquids which dissolve in water. It is therefore difficult to detect them.
In the first hours after consuming methanol, the person is likely to be drunk and potentially sick. It’s almost as if she had consumed an excessive amount of alcohol.
It is in the following 12 to 24 hours that the symptoms worsen: stomach aches, dizziness, hyperventilation, shortness of breath, vision problems, coma or convulsions.
How to avoid methanol poisoning?
• Also read: Service disruptions anticipated in hospital pharmacies
Here are some tips recommended by different government sites or international organizations for tourists:
1 – Avoid buying alcohol in informal places (small stands on the street, for example) which do not have an alcohol license.
2 – Pay attention to the condition of the container in which the alcohol is sold: is it a sealed bottle or an unlabeled bottle that appears to have been open for a while?
3 – Avoid drinking artisanal alcohols of which the origin or manufacturing process is unknown.
4 – Be wary of alcohol and cocktails sold at ridiculous prices.
5 – Find out the number of cases of adulterated alcohol poisoning in the country you plan to visit.
In the top 5 countries to watch according to Médecins Sans Frontières: Indonesia, India, Russia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. There is also talk of countries like Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
