The Foreign Office has issued a warning for travellers as British tourists have died on holiday. The FCDO urged holidaymakers to be aware of the signs of methanol poisoning and understand the risks of drinking alcohol abroad.
What is methanol poisoning?
Methanol is toxic even in small amounts. It is an industrial alcohol made from distilling wood and can be found in many commercial products, like antifreeze, fuel and paint thinners.
In some parts of the world methanol products are sometimes illegally mixed with "real" alcohol, such as spirit-based drinks and cocktails. Alcohol contaminated with methanol and targeted spiking incidents can lead to serious illness and death.
Fatal risks: one shot can be deadly
A post was shared on X informing travellers that one shot could be fatal. The FCDO said: "As little as 10ml of methanol can cause blindness. 30ml (one shot) can be fatal."
The government body also spoke to Hannah-Mei whose friend Simone died after consuming methanol-contaminated alcohol in Laos in south-east Asia in November 2024. Simone's friend Bethany also fell victim to methanol poisoning, but has since made a full recovery.
In a video shared online, Hannah said: "With Methanol, it's invisible, colourless, odorless, there's really no way you can tell that there's methanol in that drink. I had never heard about methanol poisoning until Simone died."
Speaking about the heartbreaking loss of her friend, Hannah said: "I had no idea that something so dangerous could be present in a drink without any obvious warning signs."
"The next morning, they [Simone and Bethany] woke up and thought they had a really bad hangover. Simone vomited, Bethany fainted, and that’s when they knew something was seriously wrong."
"That’s why it’s so important that people know how to reduce the risk when drinking alcohol overseas and seek urgent help as soon as something doesn’t feel right."
Signs of methanol poisoning
Spotting methanol poisoning can be difficult because at first it can affect you in the same ways as "real" alcohol. According to the Foreign Office, signs to look out for include vomiting, poor judgement, loss of balance and drowsiness.
At first it may feel like a bad hangover, but travellers should watch out for a hangover that feels worse than it should. Signs include:
- Early signs: vomiting, poor judgement, loss of balance and drowsiness.
- 12-48 hours after drinking: abdominal pain, vertigo, hyperventilation, breathlessness, blurred vision and/or blindness, coma and convulsions.
If you or someone you are travelling with have any of these symptoms seek urgent medical attention. Vision issues are a distinctive red flag, particularly blurry vision, trouble looking at bright lights, and in some cases complete blindness. “Snowfield vision” (seeing snowy static like an old TV) or tunnel vision can also occur.
How to reduce the risk
It is not possible to completely remove the risks from methanol poisoning when drinking alcohol but you can take steps to reduce the risk:
- Avoid free cocktails or shots, unlabelled bottles and unusually cheap or discounted drinks claiming to be brand name alcohol.
- Be careful about spirit-based drinks such as those ‘on the rocks’, shots, cocktails, buckets or jugs.
- Choose branded beers, ciders, wines and premixed cocktails in sealed bottles and cans.
- Stick to licensed places: buy drinks from licenced stores, bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels. Avoid homemade, "bootleg" or streetside alcohol.
Seek urgent medical attention if you or someone you are travelling with show the signs of methanol poisoning after drinking. Don’t wait to “see if it gets better” or go to bed and try to sleep it off. Call for emergency help or head to the nearest hospital.
Doctors will give you an antidote like ethanol or a drug called Fomepizole to stop methanol from turning toxic in your body. You might also get dialysis to potentially remove methanol and its toxic by-product from the body.
