Where does methanol poisoning happen? Most incidents are in Asia

Six travelers have died from suspected methanol poisoning after visiting the tourist town of Vang Vieng, Laos, this month.

The travelers — two from Australia, two from Denmark, one from United Kingdom and one from United States — are believed to have consumed alcohol tainted with methanol, which is sometimes illegally added to regular or home-brewed alcohol to cut costs.

Some fourteen people were sickened following a night out in Vang Vieng around Nov. 12. One such traveler recently returned home to New Zealand, according to local news reports.

Methanol is cheaper than ethanol, which is the alcohol that’s normally found in beer, wine and spirits. Odorless and colorless, drinking 30 milliliters of methanol — less than a standard shot — can be fatal, while consuming as little as 10 milliliters — or two teaspoons — can cause blindness, according to the non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders.

“Methanol poisoning is a global public health issue that has too little focus,” according to a fact sheet published by the organization.

Since 2019, it has registered 943 incidents that have poisoned more than 39,000 people and killed around 12,900 people.

A lack of knowledge about methanol poisoning, from the public as well as the medical communities where outbreaks often occur, exacerbates the problem, according to the organization.

Most incidents of methanol poisoning occur in Asia, according to Doctors Without Borders.

A website by Doctors Without Borders that monitors methanol poisoning says many foreign tourists have fallen victim to methanol poisoning after consuming incorrectly distilled “arak” in Bali, Lombok and Gili Islands.

In September, several people were poisoned by methanol in Indonesia after consuming alcohol ordered off the internet, according to the website. In July, five students were poisoned after mixing tainted liquor with energy drinks, three of whom later died, it states.

A Facebook page called “Just Don’t Drink Spirits in Bali” advises people to drink beer, cider, wine and duty-free alcohol purchased on arrival in Bali, but to avoid cocktails and shots.  

“If someone has to pour a drink out of bottle of mixed spirits behind the bar, there a potential that you could end up with methanol poisoning,” said the page’s creator Colin Ahaern.

“Be careful,” he said. “Bali is a gorgeous place, but it’s got its own traps.”

According to Doctors Without Borders, Iran leads in terms of the number of people who have been poisoned by methanol over the past five years.

In April 2020 — the month after Covid-19 was declared a pandemic — more than 5,800 people in Iran were poisoned by methanol in a mass incident that killed some 800 people, according to Doctors Without Borders. The organization states that many mistakenly believed that drinking the alcohol would kill the Covid virus.  

Doctors Without Borders cautions travelers about drinking alcohol in informal settings and places that are not licensed to sell alcohol. It also recommends travelers avoid alcohol that’s free or poured from unlabeled containers.

The organization added that many outbreaks and poisonings go undiagnosed since symptoms mirror those that are common with food poisoning and hangovers, such as vomiting and drowsiness. But, it states, methanol poisoning can also cause vertigo, rapid heartbeat as well as blurry vision and blindness.