What is methanol, how does it end up in alcoholic drinks, and how can you avoid it?
A British backpacker and four other people have died in southeast Asia after reports of suspected methanol poisoning.
Four people had already died following the poisonings – an Australian named Bianca Jones, 19, from Melbourne, as well as two Danish women in their 20s and a 56-year-old US citizen.
British tourist Simone White, 28, from Orpington, Kent, had fallen ill after reportedly drinking “free shots” from a local bar in the resort of Vang Vieng. She was one of six British tourists being treated for methanol poisoning in Laos.
“We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Laos, and we are in contact with the local authorities,” the foreign office said.
New Zealand has confirmed one of its citizens has also fallen ill.
Authorities are now warning travellers about the risks of methanol poisoning, how it happens, and how to avoid it.
Vang Vieng, Laos. File pic: iStock
What is methanol?
Methanol, or CH3OH, is very similar to ethanol – the pure form of alcohol in alcoholic drinks.
While like ethanol, it is an odourless, tasteless, and highly flammable liquid, it has a different chemical structure that makes it toxic for humans.
Otherwise known as wood alcohol, methanol is most often used to make solvents, pesticides, paint thinners, and alternative fuels.
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What makes it so dangerous is the way our bodies metabolise it.
Once consumed, our enzymes metabolise methanol into formaldehyde, the substance used to make industrial glue and embalming substances, before breaking it down into formic acid.
“The formic acid upsets the acid balance in blood and the major consequence is initially the effect on someone’s breathing. There are effects on many other organs, the kidney being one,” says Professor Alastair Hay, emeritus professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds.
“Formaldehyde attacks nerves, particularly the optic nerve and blindness is a potential risk,” he adds.
How does it end up in alcoholic drinks?
In southeast Asia and other popular tourist destinations, methanol can be found in alcoholic drinks for two main reasons.
Firstly, it is cheaper than ethanol, so it is sometimes added instead to save costs, before the counterfeit alcohol is bottled and sold in shops and bars.
Alternatively, it can occur by accident when alcohol is homemade – something common across southeast Asia.
When alcohol is distilled and fermented without the appropriate monitoring, it can sometimes produce methanol in toxic quantities.
Because it is impossible to tell the difference between methanol and ethanol content without specialist equipment – homemade drinks are often offered to tourists without anyone knowing how dangerous they are.
Simone White
Bianca Jones
What are the symptoms of methanol poisoning?
Methanol is highly toxic, so as little as 25ml can prove fatal.
Methanol poisoning can be treated by using ethanol to counter the effects on the body – but only within the first 10 to 30 hours after consumption.
This makes early diagnosis and warnings to others critical.
The most common symptoms are:
- Vomiting and nausea;
- Changes in vision, including blurring, loss of sight, and difficulty looking at bright lights;
- Abdominal and muscle pain;
- Dizziness and confusion;
- Drowsiness and fatigue.
Methanol poisoning symptoms are similar to those from alcohol poisoning – but are often more severe. If drinks were left unattended or your symptoms appear disproportionate to the amount you drank, it could be methanol poisoning, authorities warn.
How it is treated?
Professor Hay says treatment involves removing methanol from the blood via dialysis – while “keeping someone mildly drunk” by giving them ethanol at the same time.
“The principle behind administering ethanol is quite simple; it delays methanol metabolism,” he says.
“Both alcohols are broken down by the same liver enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. But the enzyme prefers ethanol.
“So ethanol acts as a competitive inhibitor largely preventing methanol breakdown, but markedly slowing it down, allowing the body to vent methanol from the lungs and some through the kidneys, and a little through sweat.”
This avoids the process of methanol ultimately metabolising as formic acid, he adds.
How can you avoid it while travelling?
UK travel advice for Laos and other parts of the region advises the most commonly affected drinks are:
- Local spirits, such as rice and palm liquor, often labelled ‘special’ or ‘happy’ drinks;
- Spirit-based mixed drinks such as cocktails;
- Counterfeit brand-name bottled alcohol sold in bars and shops.
In order to minimse risks, travellers should:
- Buy alcohol only from licensed bars, hotels, or shops;
- Check labels for signs bottles may be counterfeit, including poor print quality or spelling errors;
- Avoid homemade alcohol;
- Check bottles are properly sealed before drinking from them;
- Avoid free drinks you have not seen poured yourself;
- Do not leave drinks or food unattended.
In a stark and direct intervention, Martin Griffiths, the former UN humanitarian chief, has described the situation in Gaza as genocide.
The statement, made during an interview I conducted with Griffiths on The World, marks one of the most pointed accusations yet from a figure known to be deeply embedded in the world of international politics and diplomacy.
“I think now we’ve got to the point this is unequivocal. Of course it is genocide. Just as it is weaponising aid.
“We don’t need to look behind ourselves to see that’s the case. That should encourage us even more because we, of course, all doubted whether it would come to that level of definition.
“We all doubted whether famine is actually there. I think starvation is killing people. That’s bad enough. We don’t have to worry about famine, which is obviously there lurking in the shadows.
“Also, genocide… of course that’s what has happened. We only need to look at the statements made. Prime Minister Netanyahu has the virtue of being very clear about his objectives.”
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Ex-Israeli aide dismisses genocide claims
His choice of words is extraordinary – not just for its gravity, but because it’s Griffiths who is saying it.
A veteran diplomat with decades of experience navigating complex international crises, Griffiths is known for his calm and thoughtful demeanour – not for inflammatory language.
For him to use the term “genocide” in a television interview signals a significant shift in how some within the international system are now interpreting events on the ground in Gaza – 20 months since Israel launched its war.
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The timing is also noteworthy.
Just weeks earlier, Tom Fletcher, another respected former British ambassador and current UN humanitarian chief, came close to using the phrase during a UN Security Council session.
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He said: “What more evidence do you need now? Will you act decisively to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law? Or will you say instead: ‘we did all we could?'”
Whilst he stopped short, his tone showed a clear change in how leading international figures now view the direction of Israeli military operations in Gaza; staggering civilian deaths, and the statements made by Israeli officials prosecuting this war.
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Griffiths’ remarks now go a step further.
It comes as the British government continues to grapple with public anger over the mounting civilian toll – and faces growing scrutiny over its continued arms exports to Israel.
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This latest statement by Griffiths doesn’t just reflect humanitarian concern.
As a former ambassador, he knows the weight his words carry.
And with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsening, his warning challenges Israel’s allies to ask deeply uncomfortable questions.
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Lawyers representing Israel against accusations brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice last year – accusing its actions in Gaza of amounting to genocide – called the claims “unfounded”, “absurd” and amounting to “libel”.
They went on to say Israel respected international law and had a right to defend itself.
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More than 40% of Europe slides into drought, including pockets of Greece, southern Italy and Spain
Well over a third of Europe, including parts of holiday destinations like Spain, Greece and Italy, are now in drought.
March was Europe’s warmest on record – a trend driven by climate change – and also saw below average rain across large parts of the north and east of the continent.
Now 41.2% of Europe finds itself in some form of drought, according to the latest update from the EU’s European Drought Observatory, which covers 11 to 20 May.
It is most acute in pockets of south-eastern Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Albania, where the strongest “alert” category has been issued, as well as parts of Poland and Ukraine.
But broad stretches of northern and eastern Europe through France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine also drying up, sowing concerns about crop yields.
On Thursday, the UK’s Environment Agency officially declared a drought in North West England after river and reservoir levels were licked away by a dry spring.
More than 40% of Europe was in drought as of 11-20 May 2025. Pic: CEMS / EDO
Heat was record high in March in Europe. The image on the right shows the south of the continent was much wetter than average and the north much drier. Source: Copernicus Climate Change Service
Greece tourism is ‘unsustainable’
In Greece, “overtourism” from millions flocking to its beaches adds further pressure to water supplies, said Nikitas Mylopoulos, professor of water resource management at Thessaly University.
“The tourist sector is unsustainable and there is no planning… leading to a tremendous rise in water demand in summer,” he told Sky News.
“The islands have an intense problem of drought and water scarcity.”
Islands like Santorini and Mykonos are now forced to ship in water from Athens or desalination plants to provide for showers and swimming pools. In the past, many residents could make do with local methods like rainwater harvesting.
But agriculture is a far bigger drain on the country’s water, with waste rife and policies lacking, said Prof Mylopoulos.
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Wildfire season could be ‘particularly difficult’
This year’s hot and dry conditions are also fuelling the risk of yet another fierce wildfire season in Greece.
Last week civil protection minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis warned of a “particularly difficult” summer.
He said a record 18,000 firefighters have been deployed and the drone fleet almost doubled in a bid to combat fires being fuelled by a hotter climate.
Droughts and their causes are more complicated, but scientists at World Weather Attribution say global warming is exacerbating drought in some parts of the world, including around the Mediterranean.
A drought was declared in northwest England on Thursday. Pic: Reuters
They found the drought of 2022, which spread across the Northern Hemisphere, was made 20 times more likely by climate change.
The International Hydropower Association said drought and intense rain in Europe are pushing power plants to “operate at the limits of their existing equipment”.
Extreme weather costs the EU about €28.3bn (£23.8bn) in lost crops and livestock per year, according to insurance firm Howden.
Hayley Fowler, professor of climate change impacts at Newcastle University, said: “With global warming, we expect more prolonged and intense droughts and heatwaves punctuated by more intense rainfall, possibly causing flash floods.
“In recent years, we have experienced more of these atmospheric blocks, causing record heat and persistent drought, as well as severe flooding in other locations in Europe.
“Recent months have been no different, with prolonged dry conditions and heatwaves in northern Europe and floods in southern Europe.”
At least 117 people have died and others are still missing after heavy flooding in Nigeria, an emergency official said.
Authorities initially said 21 people had died but this figure has today risen significantly.
Media reports quoting local government officials said a dam collapse has worsened the situation.
Ibrahim Hussaini, head of Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said some 3,000 houses were underwater in two communities.
Videos posted on social media show floodwater sweeping through neighbourhoods, with rooftops barely visible above the brown currents. One clip shows a tanker floating through a town.
A tanker is swept away by floodwaters
The chairman of the Mokwa local government area suggested poor infrastructure has worsened the impact of the flooding.
Jibril Muregi has appealed to the government to start “long overdue” construction of waterways in the area under a climate resilience project.
Water appears to be flowing over a dam behind the town
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In a similar occurrence last September, torrential rains and a dam collapse in Nigeria’s northeastern Maiduguri caused severe flooding, leaving at least 30 people dead and displacing millions.
Nigeria is prone to flooding during the rainy season, which began in April – and flooding is becoming more common and extreme as the climate warms.
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