Experts have revealed a surprising cure for methanol poisoning after alcohol contaminated with the substance killed six people Laos, and hospitalised a further dozen.
Methanol, a potent chemical found in paint thinner, is often mixed into counterfeit booze to boost profits in some parts of the world, as it is cheap to produce.
Just a mouthful can be enough to kill and two teaspoons can make you go blind.
But a surprising cure for methanol poisoning is the very chemical it is designed to mimic; alcohol.
Delivered via an IV drip, or just by drinking in a clinical setting, alcohol can delay the breakdown of methanol, which is responsible for its toxic effects.
This gives medics extra time for them to save a potential victim’s life.
However, patients may need to be kept drunk for up to a week — and under strict medical supervision — to ensure correct dosage in order to clear the methanol from their system.
It comes after a Laotian medic who treated one of the victims said he originally treated her with fluids and vitamins, suspecting she had consumed too much cannabis.
A surprising cure for methanol poisoning is the very chemical it is designed to mimic, alcohol. Stock image
The patient, Holly Bowles, 19, later died in hospital.
Alcohol is considered one for the frontline treatments for suspected methanol poisoning in many parts of the world.
It works thanks to an interaction between methanol, the liver and alcohol.
Methanol, by itself, isn’t toxic to the body. It’s only when broken down by the liver that its chemical components start to wreak havoc.
These components cause the blood to become acidic, damaging cells and organs.
If left untreated, this can result in permanent damage or death.
Professor Alastair Hay, an expert in environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds, explained that alcohol, known chemically as ethanol, stops methanol being processed by the liver.
‘The principle behind administering ethanol is quite simple; it delays methanol metabolism,’ he said.
He explained that both substances are broken down by the organ in the same way, but as alcohol is done so more efficiently it is prioritised by the body.
Professor Hay said this preference for alcohol gives the body time to get rid of methanol in other ways that don’t result in organ damage, such as via urination and sweat.
British lawyer Simone White, 28, from Orpington in Kent (pictured) died after drinking free shots allegedly laced with deadly methanol
Melbourne teenagers Holly Bowles (left) and Bianca Jones (right), both aged 19, died following a night out in the party town of Vang Viang this month after drinking tainted alcohol
In more mild cases, and if delivered quickly enough, alcohol may be the only treatment a patient requires to recover.
‘If the poisoning is not too severe, and only blood tests will determine this, ethanol alone may suffice, Professor Hay said.
In more severe or delayed cases, keeping a patient ‘mildly drunk’ can give other treatments like dialysis to clean the blood of the methanol toxins time to work, he said.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, recommends alcohol as a potential treatment for methanol poisoning.
Dr Knut Erik Hovda of MSF described it as the ‘most important antidote’ in comments to the BBC.
However, a medication called fomepizole, which works on the same chemical principal as alcohol, is preferred in all circumstances if it’s available.
Medics consider it more effective as it’s easier to control the dose to counteract methanol. It also has fewer side effects than alcohol for patients, which include sedation or behavioural changes.
However, it’s expensive, costing nearly £4,000 a dose in some parts of the world, meaning alcohol is, generally, more readily available.
Here, we reveal how the substance can wreak havoc on the body within just hours of taking it, leaving drinkers paralysed, unable to breathe and at risk of losing their sight
It comes as Dr Yaher, who treated one of the Australian victims of the Laotian poisonings, 19-year-old Holly Bowles, told The Times that when he first examined the young woman she was ‘confused’ and ‘sleepy’.
‘We asked her what she had eaten or drunk, but she didn’t know what had happened,’ he said.
He said medics initially suspected Bowles had consumed too many cannabis edibles which were popular with tourists.
‘We treated her symptomatically. We put her on an IV drip and gave her vitamins. But after 30 minutes she had a seizure and went into a coma.’
She became the sixth victim, with her death following that of her friend Bianca Jones, also 19, as well as British lawyer Simone White, 28, from Orpington, Kent.
Three other fatalities — two Danes and one American — have also been recorded in relation to the drinks served in the Laotian town Vang Vieng, which is popular with backpackers.
Medics and experts are keen to highlight that time taken to seek medical help is by far the most critical factor for outcomes of methanol poisoning and urge travellers to be aware of the potential signs.
Symptoms of methanol poisoning typically develop after 12 to 24 hours after drinking which differentiates it from alcohol poisoning which typically occurs earlier.
However, symptoms can emerge even after 24 hours if enough alcohol was consumed to delay the initial breakdown of the methanol, similar to how it is used as a treatment.
Signs of methanol poisoning include confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, vomiting, vision changes and abdominal and muscle pain.
Patients often complain of a severe or unusual ‘hangover’ in the initial stages which is then followed by breathing problems, vomiting and abdominal pain as well as vision problems.
If a patient doesn’t receive treatment they can then fall into a coma as their body begins to shut down.
