The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has cautioned Nigeria, Kenya, and six other countries over rising cases of methanol poisoning linked to counterfeit alcoholic drinks.
The expanded advisory reflects growing global concern over the spread of toxic beverages that continue to claim lives across several regions.
According to a BBC report, the caution follows a series of high-profile incidents, including the deaths of six tourists in Laos last year.
Previously, the FCDO’s methanol warning covered countries such as Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica, and Fiji. It has now been broadened to include Nigeria, Kenya, Ecuador, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, and Uganda.
Methanol — an industrial chemical commonly found in antifreeze and windscreen washer fluids — is not inherently toxic, but becomes dangerous when ingested.
“Only when it is ingested into the body does it become poisonous, such that formic acids and their anion formates become health risks,” according to a report from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
BBC reports further explain that the danger often emerges hours after consumption, as the liver attempts to metabolise the substance. “The harm in consuming these poisonous methanol-laced alcohol happens hours later as the body attempts to clear it from the body by breaking it down in the liver,” the report notes.
“This metabolism creates toxic by-products called formaldehyde, formate and formic acid. These build up, attacking nerves and organs which can lead to blindness, coma and death,” it adds.
Health experts warn that adulterated alcoholic drinks — often produced illicitly to cut costs and maximise profits — have become a global menace.
(Business Day)
