Concerns about alcohol safety rise after Laos’ methanol poisoning deaths

ISLAMABAD: Laos’ methanol poisoning deaths have raised concerns worldwide about the safety of alcoholic drinks, especially in the tourist-favourite Southeast Asian region.

Last week, six people, including two teenage girls, died allegedly due to tainted alcohol, which media reported as the suspected outbreak of methanol poisoning.

The two girls, who died from methanol poisoning, were Australian nationals who had come to Laos on a backpacking holiday. Other victims of the poisoning incident included two Danish women, an American man, and a British woman.

Methanol is a toxic industrial chemical, often responsible for deaths on a massive scale when used by bootleggers to make illegal liquor in underdeveloped parts of the world, especially Asia and Africa.

After the death of six tourists in Laos, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom have warned their citizens and travelers in Southeast Asia about the deadly consequences of drinking adulterated alcohol.

Methanol deaths in developing world

In June 2024, at least 65 people died and more than 200 were affected in Tamil Nadu, India, after consuming illegally made alcoholic drinks adulterated with methanol.

Similar incidents have also occurred in Pakistan multiple times. A month ago, three people, including two women, were found dead in an apartment in the federal capital of Pakistan. However, the deadliest incident occurred in December 2016 when adulterated alcohol turned Christmas celebrations into a massive funeral as at least 32 people died after drinking homemade toxic liquor in Toba Tek Singh city.

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According to a study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Medical Toxicology, methanol is not the only chemical that causes death in toxic liquor drinking cases in Pakistan. The study found that in the majority of poisoning deaths in Pakistan between 2013 and 2019, victims died from drinking liquor adulterated with organophosphates or pesticides.

However, in the most recent case, authorities found toxic methanol behind the deaths of alcohol poisoning victims.

What is methanol and why is it fatal?

Associate Professor of Chemistry at LUMS Dr Zaheer informed HUM News English that methanol, or wood alcohol, is a toxic liquid present in spirit (denatured alcohol). It is mostly used as a solvent. When ingested, even in small amounts, it is converted in the body by the liver into highly poisonous compounds like formic acid, which can cause blindness, organ failure, or death.

How do bootleggers get their hands on methanol?

According to Dr Zaheer, bootleggers in Pakistan often obtain methanol by diverting it from legitimate industrial sources. This involves unauthorized access to methanol intended for industrial use, which is then repurposed for illicit alcohol production.

In certain cases, he added, small-scale chemical units may sell methanol to bootleggers. These transactions exploit gaps in regulatory oversight, allowing methanol to enter the black market.

Furthermore, he said, bootleggers sometimes utilize denatured spirits, which contain methanol, to produce illicit alcohol.

Denatured spirits are typically used in the paint industry for cleaning, degreasing, and as a fuel for certain burners, but when diverted, they serve as a base for bootleg liquor, the professor added.

Interestingly, denatured spirits are easily available online, even on platforms like Daraz, which makes it easier for bootleggers to obtain and use them for their nefarious purposes.