A British lawyer has been named as the fifth person to die in a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Laos.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has announced that it will support the family of Simone White, a 28-year-old British lawyer from Orpington, Kent, who died in the attack.
Another British national is among those being treated in hospital after allegedly being served alcoholic drinks containing deadly methanol in Laos' popular backpacker town where four people have died and around 12 have fallen ill. This also includes tourists.
“Following the incident in Laos, we are providing consular assistance to British nationals and their families and are liaising with local authorities,” the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said in a statement.
An Australian teenager, an American and two Danish tourists aged 19 and 20 were killed in the incident in Vang Vieng, a town particularly popular with backpackers looking for parties and adventure sports.
The FCDO has not confirmed how many British nationals have been infected, but reports suggest up to six people require treatment.
Mr. White is an attorney with the global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, where he handles general commercial matters, as well as contentious and non-contentious intellectual property law matters, according to the firm's website. was involved.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament that Bianca Jones, a 19-year-old from Melbourne, died after being evacuated from Vang Vieng to receive treatment at a hospital in Thailand.
Thai authorities later confirmed that Jones died from “swelling of the brain due to high levels of methanol detected in his body.” Her friend Holly Bowles, 19, is also hospitalized in Thailand. They were staying in a hostel in a town in central Laos. The town is popular with young Westerners backpacking across Southeast Asia on the Banana Pancake Trail, which spans Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Australia said “several foreign nationals” were also victims of methanol poisoning. The U.S. State Department confirmed the death of one American citizen, and the Danish Foreign Ministry announced that two nationals also died in the “incident in Laos,” but neither was linked to the methanol poisoning that killed Jones. He did not comment directly. The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a citizen in Laos was also showing signs of unwellness and may have been a victim of methanol poisoning.
Unlike ethanol, which is the main ingredient in alcoholic beverages, methanol is toxic to humans. The incident highlighted the dangers of methanol poisoning across Southeast Asia. In Southeast Asia, there is a cultural norm of brewing moonshine from ingredients such as rice and sugar cane, sometimes mixed with methanol as a cheaper alternative to ethanol.
Lao authorities are investigating the incident. Samples were also sent to Thailand and tested there, said Professor Knut Eric Hovda, who advises Médecins Sans Frontières' methanol poisoning control project.
Mr Hovda said based on the clinical characteristics and medical history of the Australians brought to Thailand for treatment, they most likely suffered from methanol poisoning.
He said: “There are a lot of people who drink and get sick, and the moment they start having symptoms after a period of time, unless it's proven, it's methanol. To me, this is definitely caused by methanol.” .
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According to MSF data, Asia has the highest prevalence of methanol poisoning in the world, with cases also occurring in Indonesia, India, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
According to Alastair Hay, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Leeds, the risk from methanol poisoning is twice as high.
“Methanol is broken down in the body to formaldehyde and then to formic acid. Formic acid disrupts the acid/base balance in the blood, the main consequence of which is first of all the effect on breathing,” he told the PA news agency. .
“The kidneys are one of them, but many other organs are affected as well. Disturbances in acid-base balance and breathing eventually affect the heart, causing it to stop functioning.
“Formaldehyde attacks nerves, especially the optic nerve, and can cause blindness.
“Depending on the severity of the poisoning, treatment may require dialysis to remove methanol from the blood, while also administering ethanol to maintain mild intoxication.
“If the poisoning is not too severe and can be determined with just a blood test, ethanol alone may be sufficient.”
