Methanol Deaths in Southeast Asia...How to distinguish fake alcohol?
Feb 20, 2025
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Even a small amount of methanol causes acute poisoning, and symptoms such as headache, dizziness, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea appear.
In severe cases, attention is needed as comatose conditions, loss of vision, permanent blindness, as well as death.
Methanol is a colorless liquid that smells similar to alcohol, making it easy to be deceived.
In the meantime, Woofland, founder of the British liquor company 'Wiskey Masters', told the British media The Mirror how to identify whether methanol or foreign substances have entered.
According to him, fake bottles may have bad labels, spelling errors, or blurry phrases.
Even if the seal of the bottle is damaged or scratched, it should be suspected.
If you smell fishy, such as chemicals, you'd better not take a sip.
You should also avoid frothy alcohol. Most alcohol should not be foamed at all, Mr. Woofland stressed.
In addition, if foreign substances are observed or prices are extremely low, fake alcohol should be suspected.
So far, these are the contents that can be found with a little attention.
Mr. Woofland also introduced an interesting test method to help you immediately know if alcohol has methanol.
Pour suspicious alcohol into a spoon and light it with a match or lighter.
He can tell whether alcohol is real or not based on the color of the flame""Ethanol contained in actual alcohol is burned with a clean, almost invisible blue flame, whereas faux alcohols containing high levels of butyl alcohol and propyl alcohol are burned with a brighter orange flame"
However, he warned that "'extreme caution must be taken, it can be known, and it cannot always be trusted.'"
He must then watch the drink pour with his eyes, avoid unsealed bottles, and never drink the free alcohol given by strangers," he said.
Meanwhile, in December last year, two foreign tourists who drank alcohol made of methanol died in Hoi An, a famous tourist destination in Vietnam.
In November of the same year, six foreign tourists who drank methanol in Vietnam's neighboring country and Laos' famous tourist destination, Bang Bieng, died.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
