Outbreaks of methanol toxicity have occurred when methanol is used to lace moonshine (bootleg liquor), [1] which is an alcohol-related crime. However, it may also happen if ethanol has been contaminated.
Methanol is a toxic alcohol to humans via ingestion due to metabolism. If as little as 10 ml of pure methanol is ingested, for example, it can break down into formic acid, which can cause permanent blindness by destruction of the optic nerve, and 30 ml is potentially fatal, [2] although the median lethal dose is typically 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) (i.e. 1–2 ml/kg body weight) of pure methanol. [3] This does not happen with ethanol, which breaks down into acetic acid, which is non-toxic in small amounts. Reference dose for methanol is 0.5 mg/kg/day. [4] Toxic effects take hours to start, and effective antidotes, like ethanol, can often prevent permanent damage. [2] Because of its similarities in both appearance and odor to ethanol (the alcohol in beverages), it is difficult to differentiate between the two.
A more comprehensive list of methanol incidents can be found through the Medécines sans Frontieres´ (MSF/Doctors without Borders) data collection at MSF methanol incidents. Further material can also be found at https://methanolpoisoning.msf.org
On May 11, 2000, Rodney Marks unexpectedly became unwell while walking between the remote observatory and the base of Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. Over a 36-hour period, Marks became increasingly sick, before dying on May 12, 2000. How Marks got methanol poisoning remains unknown.
In 2013 three people died and one suffered partial blindness when they ingested a home-made beverage containing methanol. [5]
In 1997 two people from Central Australia died and two survived after ingesting a drink made from methanol and other alcoholic beverages. [6]
In 1999, 35 people died in 10 cities of the state of Bahia as a result of drinking cachaça contaminated with methanol. Further investigation revealed concentrations as high as 24.84% methanol. Over 20 days, 450 people were hospitalized with symptoms of methanol ingestion. [7]
In 2012, 49 people died, and more than 300 people were hospitalized, after drinking rice wine contaminated by methanol. [8]
25 persons died in August 2019 due to methanol poisoning. [9]
The 2012 Czech Republic methanol poisonings occurred in September 2012 in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. [10] Over the course of several days, 38 people in the Czech Republic [11] and four people in Poland died as a result of methanol poisoning and several tens of others were taken to hospital. [12] [13]
In El Salvador, as many as 122 people died in 2000 as a result of drinking low quality liquors sold in unauthorized shops that were found to be adulterated with methanol. [14] The incident prompted the authorities to declare a 10-day emergency prohibition and a massive inspection of alcohol-vending establishments. The root cause was believed to be an act of terrorism, possibly a social cleansing campaign targeted against alcoholics, [15] as the offending distilleries were not found to be responsible for the methanol contents that were present in the affected liquors. [16]
The Pärnu methanol poisoning incident occurred in Pärnu county, Estonia, in September 2001, when 68 people died and 43 were left disabled after contents of stolen methanol canisters were used in production of bootleg liquor.
India has a thriving moonshine industry, and methanol-tainted batches have killed over 2,000 people in the last 3 decades, including:
Arak that has been laced has contributed to deaths due to methanol toxicity. [24] [25] [26] [27]
In 2013, as a result of methanol mass poisoning in Iran [28] 694 people were hospitalised in the city of Rafsanjan. 8 people were reported dead due to severe intoxication.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, nearly 300 people died and over a thousand became ill from drinking methanol in the belief that drinking it can kill the virus in the body. [29]
Two men were killed in a methanol poisoning incident near to Burtonport, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland in 2014 after drinking what was claimed to be poitín (an Irish moonshine made from potatoes). [30] One man was native Irish and the other a Lithuanian immigrant. A bottle seized at the scene of one poisoning was found to contain 97% methanol. [31] [32]
In 2017 a person was severely poisoned after buying "vodka" from an unlicensed seller in the Ballymun area of Dublin; the bottle had been refilled with a liquid containing methanol. [33] [34] [35]
In 1986 the methanol-tainted wine scandal [36] was a fraud perpetrated by adulterating table wine with methanol, poisoning over a hundred people, with 90 hospitalized, 23 deaths, and many others heavily injured (blindness and neurological damages). [37]
2024 Laos methanol poisoning: In November 2024, six foreign tourists, including two Australian teenagers, two Danish women, one British lawyer, and one American tourist, died of suspected methanol poisoning after consuming laced alcohol at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in the town of Vang Vieng, Laos. Several others were hospitalized in Thailand after experiencing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Methanol poisoning, caused by improperly distilled alcohol, can lead to severe health complications, including blindness and death. [38]
The incident led to the arrest of eleven staff members from the hostel and prompted an investigation by Laotian authorities to identify the source of the contamination. [39] Governments, including Australia, updated their travel advisories, warning citizens about the dangers of unregulated local alcohol in Southeast Asia. This tragedy underscored the risks associated with counterfeit or improperly produced beverages in regions with limited regulatory oversight. [40] [41]
At least 51 people died in Tripoli in 2013. [42] The consumption and sale of alcohol is illegal in Libya. [42]
The Madagascar methanol mass poisoning occurred in 1998 when 200 people died. [43]
From September until October 2018, 45 people have been reported died of methanol poisoning from drinking fake liquor. [44] In this incident, the methanol content was up to 50 times more than the permissible amount. [45] Cases of toxic alcohol poisoning have been reported in Selangor, the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Perak and Negeri Sembilan. [44] The deaths comprised various nationalities mostly of foreign workers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and Nepal. [44] Around 30 people including three Indian nationals, believed to be responsible for the distribution of cheap counterfeit liquor to retailers around Selayang and Desa Jaya which led to the methanol poisoning incident have been arrested. [46] [47]
Government restrictions on liquor and beer sales during the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated the problem of illegal production and sale of alcoholic beverages in Mexico. Reportedly, 35 people died in 2020 in just one mass poisoning incident due to methanol tainted drinks. [48]
Between September 28 and 29, 2022, 21 deaths occurred in the northern Moroccan city of Ksar El Kebir. [49] Between May 31 and June 2, 2023, 9 deaths occurred in the Moroccan city of Meknes. [50]
Between April 14 and April 26, 2015, 23 deaths were recorded in relation to methanol poisoning in Ayadi and Ode-Irele towns of Irele Local Government Area in Ondo State. [51]
66 people in Rivers State died over a few weeks that started in April 2015 due to methanol-contaminated ogogoro. [52] [53] [54]
Between September 2002 and December 2004, 51 people were admitted to hospital with symptoms of methanol poisoning, of whom 9 died. A further 8 people who died outside hospital were found to have died from methanol poisoning following autopsy. The liquor responsible for all of the cases contained 20% methanol and 80% ethanol and probably came from the same source in southern Europe. [55]
In October 2022 in Lima, Peru 54 people died due to consuming fruit-flavored vodka that was laced with methanol. The source of the methanol was from windshield washer fluid and antifreeze. [56]
The Luzon lambanog deaths started to occur in late November 2018 in separate places in the Philippines after drinking arrack (locally known in the Philippines as lambanog) in separate places in the Philippines. The case started on November 29 when the residents from Calamba, Laguna drank lambanog and began to experience symptoms such as stomach cramps, resulting in hospital admission; they subsequently died. [57] People who consumed lambanog experienced other symptoms such as nausea, chest pains, and blurry vision. Meanwhile, another four persons, who were tricycle drivers, were reported to have died after they consumed arrack and thirteen others were hospitalized in Quezon City. [58]
In December 2019, at least 23 people died while around 300 were hospitalized after drinking methanol-laced palm liquor, locally known as lambanog , in the provinces of Laguna and Quezon. [59] [60] Separate incidents of methanol poisoning involving lambanog were also reported in 2018 which caused at least 21 deaths. [61]
In October and November 2005, 34 people in Magadan died from methanol poisoning after drinking tainted liquor. [62]
In December 2016, 72 people died in a mass methanol poisoning in Irkutsk, Siberia. The poisoning was precipitated by drinking counterfeit surrogate alcohol—actually scented bath lotion that was marked as not safe for consumption. [63] Named Boyaryshnik ("Hawthorn"), [64] it was described by the Associated Press as being counterfeit. [65]
In October 2021, in Orenburg, 35 people died and 33 others were poisoned in a mass surrogate alcohol poisoning. 7 people were noted as being in serious condition, and 3 people were placed on ventilators. 10 people were arrested for the incident. [66]
Also, in October 2021 18 people died and a number were poisoned in another mass surrogate alcohol poisoning in Yekaterinburg and towns nearby. Two persons were arrested. [67]
In May–June 2023, at least 30 people died and 96 were poisoned in the Samara region by cider contaminated with methanol and ethyl butyrate. The contaminated alcohol had reportedly been stolen from a warehouse of the Russian Interior Ministry. Four people, including one police officer, were arrested. [68]
In 1998, [69] 43 people died after drinking Rakia which contained between 40-75% methanol per bottle. The case is commonly known as the "Zozovača affair". [70] There were also at least 13 people with permanent health consequences. [71]
In 1963, methanol was used in the preparation of bottled mixed alcohol drinks such as coffee liqueur. According official records, 51 died and 9 lost their sight, but according to newspapers there may have been thousands of victims, mainly in Galicia and the Canary Islands. [72] [73]
In April 2010, 80 people died from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome after drinking waragi adulterated with a high amount of methanol over a three-week period in Kabale District. [82] [83] [84] Many of the deaths were blamed on the reluctance of people to openly admit their relatives had been drinking it, allowing the abuse of the substance to continue. [83] [84] When revelations came about houses were searched, with around 120 jerrycans uncovered. [84]
In December 1963, a rash of 31 deaths in Philadelphia's homeless population was traced to a local store that knowingly sold Sterno to people for them to consume and get drunk. [85]
In January 2016, consumption of a mixture of Mountain Dew and methanol, referred to as Dewshine, resulted in the reported deaths of two Tennessee high school students. [86] The methanol in this case was believed to come from racing fuel. [87] [88]
In April 2018, a Massachusetts man died after ingesting alcohol that was contaminated with methanol. The product consumed was labeled "Ethanol Extraction 95% ethanol and 5% water". An FDA recall was issued and the company is no longer selling the product which was sold over the internet and shipped by the U.S. Postal Service. [89]
Moonshine is high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial distilleries have adopted the term for its outlaw cachet and have begun producing their own legal "moonshine", including many novelty flavored varieties, that are said to continue the tradition by using a similar method and/or locale of production.
The Gujarat alcohol poisonings occurred in July 2009 in Gujarat, resulting in the death of 136 people from consumption of bootleg liquor.
The 2012 Czech Republic methanol poisonings occurred in September 2012 in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Over the course of several days, 38 people in the Czech Republic and four people in Poland died as a result of methanol poisoning and many others were hospitalised. The poisonings continued for several years after the main wave. As of April 2014 51 had died and many others suffered permanent health damage.
The Sangrampur methanol poisonings occurred when a methanol-tainted batch of illegal alcohol killed 143 people at Sangrampur village in Magrahat I CD Block of Diamond Harbour subdivision in December 2011, affecting mainly manual workers of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The 2008 Karnataka-Tamil Nadu alcohol poisonings was an incident in the southern Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in May 2008 in which 180 people reportedly died after consuming illicit liquor. This incident is considered to be the worst methanol poisoning in the country since at least 2000.
Methanol toxicity is poisoning from methanol, characteristically via ingestion. Symptoms may include an altered/decreased level of consciousness, poor or no coordination, vomiting, abdominal pain, and a specific smell on the breath. Decreased vision may start as early as twelve hours after exposure. Long-term outcomes may include blindness and kidney failure. Blindness may occur after drinking as little as 10 mL; death may occur after drinking quantities over 15 mL.
On 9 January 2015, 75 people died and 230 were made ill after drinking contaminated beer at a funeral in Mozambique. All of the people affected had consumed the local beer, pombe, on 9 January, which had been inadvertently contaminated by the bacterium Burkholderia gladioli which produced the toxic compound bongkrekic acid.
The Mumbai alcohol poisonings occurred in June 2015, when at least 102 people died after drinking contaminated alcohol in the Laxmi Nagar slum in Malad, located in Mumbai, India. Another 45 people were hospitalised as a result of the incident. The incident has been described as the worst of its kind in over a decade.
The 2016 Bihar alcohol poisonings killed 16 people on 16 August 2016 in Gopalganj town of Bihar, India. The victims had consumed hooch and complained of nausea and stomach ache.
The Azamgarh alcohol poisonings resulted in the deaths of 39 people in the city of Azamgarh, in Uttar Pradesh, India, in October 2013, due to consumption of moonshine mixed with methanol. This incident is considered one of the worst alcohol poisonings in the state's history. Locals have disputed the official death toll, claiming that over 40 people died in the incident.
In December 2016, over 70 people died of methanol poisoning in the Russian city of Irkutsk. Precipitated by the consumption of adulterated surrogate alcohol, it was the deadliest such incident in Russia's post-Soviet history.
In February 2019, nearly 100 people died after drinking contaminated alcohol in two neighboring states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand in northern India.
In February 2019, at least 168 people died after drinking toxic bootleg alcohol in Golaghat and Jorhat districts in the Indian state of Assam. The incident occurred two weeks after 100 people died by drinking toxic alcohol in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The 2020 Punjab alcohol poisoning was an incident in late July and early August 2020, where at least 100 people died after drinking illegally-made toxic alcohol in Punjab, India. Hundreds of raids were conducted in the three affected districts - Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran - along with several other places in and around the Rajpura and Shambhu border in Punjab. Forty people were arrested in relation to the incident. Seven excise officials, six policemen were also suspended over the incident.
On 25 July 2022, at least 42 people died and more than 97 were hospitalized in a methanol poisoning incident in Gujarat, India. The victims had consumed undiluted methyl alcohol (methanol), assuming it to be alcohol. The spurious liquor was then sold to more than 100 people in the villages of Ahmedabad, Botad and Surendranagar.
On 14 December 2022, an alcohol poisoning took place in Bihar, India. The poisoning resulted in the death of 73 people. The victims consumed hooch, that is qualitatively different from the standard alcoholic products. It is the highest death toll in Bihar, since liquor prohibition in state in 2016.
The 2024 Tamil Nadu alcohol poisoning took place in Kallakurichi district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on 20 June 2024. Consumption of illegally made liquor resulted in at least 65 deaths and more than 200 injuries.
In November 2024, six people died from suspected methanol poisoning at a bar in Vang Vieng, Laos, as a result of consuming contaminated alcohol. At least six others were hospitalised.
