Britons have been warned about the dangers of methanol poisoning in Laos, a Southeast Asian tourist destination, following six deaths linked to contaminated vodka shots, including that of a young British lawyer.
But the risks posed by the toxin, which is mixed with counterfeit alcoholic beverages to boost profits, are not just a problem for visitors to Southeast Asia.
Cases have been reported in holiday spots visited by tens of thousands of Britons each year, such as Greece and Türkiye, and some experts warn it is a growing problem.
According to guidance published on the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website, British tourists and expatriates should be aware of the risk of methanol poisoning through fake alcohol in Indonesia, Costa Rica, Vietnam and, now, Laos.
Australian officials also warn that travelers to Thailand, Cambodia and British holiday favorite Turkey should also be wary of the risks of methanol poisoning.
Britons themselves have also been documented to have suffered from methanol poisoning in Greece.
Methanol poisoning can be incredibly deadly, with mortality rates as high as 50 percent, and just 15 ml of liquid (half an injection) is enough to kill you.
The colorless liquid produces toxic chemicals that attack the body’s cells, causing organ damage and, in some cases, death.
Britons have now been warned about the dangers of methanol poisoning in South East Asia, but incidents are known in holiday destinations much closer to home.
Experts have warned tourists to watch for subtle symptoms of the problem, which include confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, vomiting, vision changes, and abdominal and muscle pain.
Many of these mimic signs of alcohol poisoning, but changes in vision due to the way the substance damages sensitive cells in the eyes are considered a key difference.
While sporadic cases occur regularly in Southeast Asia and Central America, incidents have been recorded much closer to Britain.
Turkish authorities and local media have reported dozens of cases of locals killed and tourists hospitalized because they unknowingly drank counterfeit alcohol laced with methanol.
One of the most famous incidents occurred in 2011, when four Russian citizens died and nearly two dozen others fell ill after they were served a contaminated bottle of whiskey on a yacht.
Turkish authorities arrested 22 people and confiscated thousands of bottles of smuggled spirits after shutting down an organized group supplying counterfeit spirits in connection with the incident.
Doctors in the country have also warned that the problem posed by methanol consumption linked to fake spirits is increasing.
Turkish doctors published. a study earlier this year in which they noted that more than half of the 15 recent methanol poisoning victims had died and called on authorities to crack down on the scandal.
Australian Holly Bowles (pictured), 19, was on holiday with her school friend in the popular backpacking destination of Vang Vieng; Unfortunately, he has become the sixth person to die.
Simone White, 28, from Orpington, Kent, is the fifth tourist to die after falling ill last week.
Bianca Jones, 19, has become the fourth person to die after consuming alleged “methanol” drinks in Vang Vieng, Laos.
The authors of the research, published in The Turkish Journal of Neurology, wrote: ‘The critical parameters for saving lives in case of methyl alcohol poisoning are early diagnosis and timely, appropriate and aggressive treatment.
“National authorities should develop clinical, social and economic strategies to combat this problem.”
Neighboring Greece has also seen cases of methanol poisoning, including some involving Britons.
One case involved Hannah Powell from Middlesbrough, who at age 21 experienced blindness and kidney failure as a result of consuming a vodka cocktail mixed with methanol on the Greek resort island of Zakynthos in 2016.
Friends who were there at the time also became ill, but not as seriously.
Powell never regained her sight and her mother had to donate one of her own kidneys to her daughter to save her life.
In another incident in 2018 on the same island, 17 British teenagers were rushed to hospital after drinking alcohol they claimed contained methanol.
A journalistic investigation carried out following the hospitalizations of the sun Traces of methanol were found in vodka sold by the staff of a bar in the city of Laganas.
Hostel manager and bartender Duong Duc Toan (pictured) claimed it was not his Tiger Vodka that made tourists sick.
Spirits, sold as shots or as part of cocktails, are often mixed with methanol through counterfeit alcohol supplies.
Criminal gangs use methanol, which is cheaper to produce than real alcohol, to expand supplies and increase potency when added in small quantities.
They can then sell this imitation drink to bars in bottles with fake labels that resemble real brands of vodka and whiskey for a cheaper price than the original.
Spelling errors or poor quality printed labels are considered one of the main warning signs that a spirit may be contaminated with methanol.
Recent warnings about the toxin have focused on a mass poisoning incident in Laos that last night claimed the lives of six victims, Holly Bowles, 19, from Australia.
Her death follows that of her friend Bianca Jones, also 19, as well as that of British lawyer Simone White, 28, from Orpington, Kent.
Three other deaths, two Danes and one American, have also been recorded in connection with drinks served in the Laotian town of Vang Vieng, popular with backpackers.
At least 11 other people are believed to remain in hospital.
White, Jones and Bowles were staying at the Nana Backpackers Hostel, where they were given free shots of liquor now believed to contain methanol.
Now local police have reportedly detained the hostel’s director, Duong Duc Toan.
Authorities said several people had been detained, but no charges have yet been filed.
Staff previously vehemently denied that injections administered at their bar were responsible for the mass poisoning.
White’s friend Bethany Clarke, a healthcare worker also from Orpington, took to the Laos Backpacking Facebook group to warn other travellers.
She said: “Urgent: avoid all local spirits.” Our group stayed in Vang Vieng and we drank free drinks offered to us by one of the bars. Just avoid them because they are not worth it. Six of us who drank at the same place are currently in hospital for methanol poisoning.’
Ms Clarke added that she felt “very fatigued and then fainted, then felt nauseous and then my liver started to fail” after drinking contaminated alcohol.
She continued: “I got to the private hospital on time but went through many infusions and pills and days of recovery.”
Toan, who served drinks to Jones and Bowles, denied that it was his Tiger Vodka that made the girls sick.
He claims he only buys alcohol from legitimate sellers and even drank from a bottle himself to “prove it was safe.”
Toan added that the free drinks were offered to about 100 guests and said there had been no other complaints.