The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has alerted holidaymakers to the dangers of rogue drinks and the health warning signs to look out for, following the deaths of young tourists who died after drinking alcohol contaminated with methanol while abroad.
FCDO social media campaign
In a post on X on Tuesday, the FCDO shared a video featuring families and friends of victims. The post quoted 'I'd never heard of methanol poisoning' and highlighted 'why more travellers need to know the risks', adding: 'Know the signs. Urgent medical attention could save a life.'
The video includes a friend of Simone White, 28, who was one of six who died after drinking free shots at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, in November 2024. It also features the sister of Cheznye Emmons, 23, who succumbed to methanol poisoning in April 2013 after unwittingly consuming tainted counterfeit gin in Bukit Lawang, northern Sumatra, Indonesia. She said there was 'no really no way to know' whether methanol was in a drink. Another speaker was the parent of Kirsty McKie, 38, who died in 2022 after inadvertently drinking methanol while at home with a friend in Bali, where she had lived for eight years.
Dangers and symptoms
The video explains that just 10ml of methanol can result in blindness and 30ml can prove fatal. Methanol is an industrial chemical used in products such as antifreeze, which some bootleg suppliers may use to cut drink costs or avoid high alcohol taxes.
The FCDO's TravelAware campaign states: 'In some parts of the world methanol products are sometimes illegally mixed with 'real' alcohol such as spirit-based drinks and cocktails.' Holidaymakers are urged to only consume alcoholic drinks from licensed establishments, bars and hotels. They should avoid homemade alcoholic drinks, verify that bottle seals are unbroken, and examine labels for substandard quality or spelling mistakes.
Initial signs of methanol poisoning include impaired judgement, loss of balance and drowsiness. Between 12 and 48 hours following consumption, the person may experience abdominal pain, vertigo, hyperventilation, breathlessness, blurred vision and/or blindness, coma, and convulsions. Visual disturbances are a particularly telling warning sign, especially blurry vision, difficulty tolerating bright lights, and in some instances total blindness. So-called 'snowfield vision' — seeing snowy static resembling an old television screen — or tunnel vision may also occur. Urgent medical attention is necessary if any of these symptoms develop.
