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YAKUTSK, RUSSIA (ANN): Seven people died of methanol (wood alcohol) poisoning after drinking hand sanitizer at a party in Russia.
Nine people, ranging in age from 27 to 69, were partying when they opted to drink hand sanitizer after running out of alcoholic beverages, according to local Russian reports via Seven News on Nov. 21.
Of the group, two men, ages 27 and 59, and a 41-year-old woman were the first to succumb to drinking an antiseptic wash, which contains 69% methanol.
The remaining six were reportedly airlifted to a hospital in Yakutsk, four of whom have already died. The remaining two who survived drinking hand sanitizer are in a coma.
A local Russian state prosecutor confirmed the incident and revealed that “[the] the poisoning occurred as a result of drinking disinfectant, ”according to the report.
The consumption of hand sanitizer was said to have taken place in the rural town of Tomtor in the eastern part of Russia, The Sun also reported on November 21.
Russia’s federal public health watchdog also confirmed the news in a statement, saying: “There have been nine cases of disinfectant poisoning, including seven that were fatal.”
Since then, local health officials have warned the public to refrain from drinking hand sanitizer while a criminal case is being opened, according to the report.
Dangers of methanol
Before the incident, similar cases had also been reported in different parts of the world. In the United States, four people died after also ingesting methanol hand sanitizer from May 1 to June 30.
All four were among 15 cases of methanol poisoning due to ingestion of hand sanitizer reported in Arizona and New Mexico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Aug. 5. Of the cases, three suffered from “permanent visual impairment.” ”Due to methanol poisoning.
The CDC has warned the public to refrain from ingesting hand sanitizers, which should only contain ethanol or isopropanol. However, some products contaminated with methanol have still entered the US With or without methanol, however, the CDC noted that ingesting hand sanitizer is never safe.
Methanol can be absorbed through the skin, although poisoning is rare.
In India, nine people died after also ingesting hand sanitizer as a substitute for liquor. Although it was not clear whether the hand sanitizers were contaminated with methanol, it was noted that smugglers often add methanol to increase the alcohol content of the hand sanitizer.
In the Philippines last December, an outbreak of methanol poisoning was also reported after several people drank lambanog in Quezon province. At least 14 people died from poisoning, while more than 500 people were hospitalized. – Philippine Daily Inquirer / Asia News Network
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