Teenagers travelling through Southeast Asia have been hospitalised after allegedly drinking cocktails laced with methanol.
Two women, who are believed to be 19, fell ill while staying in a hostel in Udon Thani, Thailand, close to the Laos border, according to a report by 3AW Melbourne radio host Jacqui Felgate.
It’s understood the pair were travelling the continent after graduating from Secondary College in Australia. They were also part of a larger group of ten others.
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The pair’s dream backpacking trip has however ended in disaster, after they reportedly became sick from consuming cocktails with methanol in them.
“I think it’s one of those stories where if you have teenage kids, you go home and hug them a little tighter,” said Felgate.
After reporting on the incident, she said the alleged victims’ families were currently in Thailand with their children, adding that at least one of the women had been flown to a hospital in Bangkok for treatment.
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Felgate alleged she’d spoken to one of the fathers, who described the situation as ‘grave’.
According to the Methanol Institute, some countries where taxes on ethanol are too high will purposefully add methanol to alcoholic drinks.
The covalent organic compound can be made synthetically or can be obtained from peppermint or other mint oils, explains Drug Bank, while The Methanol Institute states that just 25-90 millilitres of methanol can be fatal.
The chemical building block is also often used as a clean energy resource, fuelling cars, buses, and even stoves.
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Regarding the alleged poisoning, a spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said: “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand.
“Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time. Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment,” as per News AU.
Tyla has reached out to DFAT for further comment.
Symptoms of methanol poisoning
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) writes that adverse effects from methanol poisoning may not become apparent until after an asymptomatic period of one to 72 hours.
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Ingestion of methanol can cause several neurological effects, including headaches, acute mania and amnesia.
Gastrointestinal symptoms include nausea, severe abdominal pain and inflammation of the pancreas while other symptoms include partial to total loss of vision and blood in the urine.
Medline Plus recommends you seek immediate medical help if you believe someone has been subjected to methanol poisoning or to ring your local poison control centre.
What are others saying about methanol poisoning?
News AU reports that warnings regarding drinking alcohol in the Laos area have been posted on a dedicated backpacking Facebook group.
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One tourist claimed six from their group are currently in hospital with methanol poisoning after drinking ‘free shots’ from a bar in Vang Vieng.
“Our group stayed in Van Vieng and we drank free shots offered by one of the bars.
“Just avoid them as so not worth it. 6 of us who drank from the place are in hospital currently with methanol poisoning.”
They went on to say that they personally felt ‘very fatigued and then fainted’.
“I just felt nauseous and then my liver started to shut down. I got to the private hospital in time but underwent many infusions and tablets and days of recovery,” they added.
Topics: Australia, Health, Travel, World News, Alcohol
Ella Scott