What is methanol poisoning and how can I protect myself?

By Madi Chwasta, ABC

Two Australian teenagers are fighting for their lives in Thai hospitals after consuming drinks suspected to contain methanol in Laos.

Here's how methanol poisoning occurs, and some steps you can take to protect yourself while travelling.

What is methanol and why is it used in alcoholic drinks?

It's an odourless, colourless and flammable liquid which is the simplest form of alcohol.

But it's not for drinking - methanol is used in lots of household and industrial products, like paint strippers, insecticides, inks and dyes, aerosol spray cans, and petrol.

In countries with more relaxed liquor regulations, It's illegally added to alcoholic beverages - with potentially dangerous consequences.

Professor David Ranson, the head of Monash University's department of forensic medicine, says methanol is much cheaper than ethanol, the compound that makes a drink alcoholic.

So it's sometimes used to cut production costs.

"Methanol actually is an alcohol, it does have that same pungency," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.

"And what happens is that in some cheap bulk productions, people either leave lots of methanol in or they add it in because it's a lot cheaper than fermenting and getting alcohol."

How does it react in the body?

Very badly.

Ranson says when enzymes in the human body break down methanol, it turns into formaldehyde and formic acid.

These compounds are used as embalming fluids by scientists. They're good at chemically preserving body tissues for a long time - not to keep them healthy and functioning.

"It's a very, very nasty compound," Ranson says.

"These compounds actually attack organs of the body and actually kill cells."

He says they can ultimately destroy organs, make you blind, and result in death or permanent disability.

A very little amount - sometimes as little as a shot - can be fatal.

What are the symptoms and treatments?

Ranson says it can take 12 hours for symptoms of methanol poisoning to appear.

These symptoms include vomiting, seizures, dizziness and alterations in vision.

Seeking urgent medical attention is the way to respond, as Ranson says there are a number of specific medications that can help reduce the impacts of methanol poisoning.

They act by stopping the enzymes in the body from breaking down the methanol into its dangerous compounds.

Ranson even says drinking ethanol - the ordinary drinking alcohol - can help slow down the process.

"What you want to do is keep the enzyme in your body busy so that it can't break down methanol to these nasty compounds."

The federal government's Smartraveller says after seeking medical attention, suspected cases of methanol poisoning should be reported to police.

Where does methanol poisoning happen?

It's understood most cases happen overseas.

According to Smartraveller, locals and foreigners have died or become seriously ill from poisoned drinks in Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Costa Rica and Turkiye.

Col Ahearn, who runs the Facebook page Just Don't Drink Spirits In Bali, says before the COVID pandemic, he was contacted about once a week from travellers who suspected they had consumed a drink with methanol.

He says most of the people who contact him are travelling through Bali, but is also aware of cases in Thailand, European countries such as Greece and Spain, and Mexico.

Smartraveller says contaminated drinks could include local home-brewed spirits, spirit-based drinks such as cocktails, and brand-name alcohol.

The official advice states travellers should consider the risks of drinking alcohol, and be careful with drinks made from spirits. They should also avoid home-made drinks, and only drink at reputable venues.

But Ahearn says the best way to keep safe is to stay away from cocktails and mixed drinks prepared by a bartender when travelling.

Instead, he says sticking to drinks that are pre-prepared in small bottles and cans can lower your risk.

"As far as potential problems, methanol poising has a very small chance of happening statistically," Ahearn says.

"[But] what you've got to do is pretend that every drink could contain some methanol."