this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2024
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Summary

Holly Bowles, a 19-year-old Australian, has become the sixth foreign tourist to die from suspected methanol poisoning in Laos.

She and her friend Bianca Jones fell ill in Vang Vieng, a popular backpacking town, after reportedly consuming tainted alcohol, which can be lethal even in small amounts.

Other victims include a British lawyer, an American man, and two Danish women. Methanol, often found in bootleg or home-distilled alcohol, is believed to be the cause.

Authorities are investigating, with the manager of the hostel where free shots were served detained for questioning.

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[–] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 42 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

Feel like this needs to be said. If they weren't pretty young blonde women from Australia, this wouldn't be hitting the headlines as much as it is

[–] Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 hours ago

Yes, this happens with some regularity. Usually during wedding season (dry season) and at large funerals. The reason it's in the news is what you said.

Search any of the local news sites for 'alcohol poisoning' in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and you will have a lot of results.

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 11 points 2 hours ago

Also goes for stories covering children, too.

As an aside, I always wondered if the opposite rings true in countries where the minority is white. Ethnocentrism?

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 10 points 5 hours ago (3 children)

Isnt the antidote actual ethanol?

[–] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

I heard of it as an emergency stopgap measure until you can make it to the hospital to get pumped out and properly treated. But it's been a while, I could misremember

[–] perestroika@lemm.ee 22 points 4 hours ago

The preferred antidote is fomepizole together with hemodialysis.

Fomepizole works by blocking the enzyme that converts methanol and ethylene glycol to their toxic breakdown products.[4]

[–] Maalus@lemmy.world 27 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Yes, but you need to drink untainted alcohol in huge quantities to give your liver something to do instead of killing you. When you don't know, you drink in moderation, or worse each following drink has more methanol in it. You might be fucked before you even realize what's going on, and even with a doctor in the room it's not immediately obvious what's happening.

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Maalus@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago

Yeah methanol poisoning is no joke. Huge warning signs on cisterns saying "contaminated with methanol" yet people will still try to steal it for drinking and end up blind or dead. Usually doesn't make the news since yaknow, stupidity and ignoring obvious warning signs.