By Keira Louise

The death of two Melbourne teenagers after drinking tainted alcohol on their backpacking trip to Laos while 14 others were left violently ill has opened up the question: What is in our alcohol?

After what is being called a suspected mass poisoning, a number of people became severely sick after unknowingly drinking alcohol containing methanol.

So, what is methanol and how is it getting into our drinks?

Methanol is a non-drinking type of alcohol normally used in a variety of industrial household products such as windshield washer fluid, perfumes and anti-freeze. Anything containing methanol is not fit for consumption and if ingested can lead to blindness, kidney failure and even death.

Much like ethanol, which is in our alcoholic beverages, methanol is a colourless, flammable liquid similar to clear spirits. However, the two are very different due to methanol containing an extra carbon atom which leads to a very different reaction when consumed by humans.

Most reported incidents of methanol poisoning have come from either deliberate consumption or accidental consumption, mostly by children. These are often isolated incidents but many epidemics have occurred due to tainted ethanol and improper distilling.

This mass poisoning has left people scared and wondering what is actually in their alcohol. Luckily, properly purchased, branded products in the UK and Europe all come under stringent quality control.

Methanol can find its way into any alcoholic drink, but it will most likely appear in beverages with a higher alcohol content such as spirits and traditionally brewed drinks like fruit wines.

The reason this can happen is because it can be illegally added during the manufacturing process as it's a much cheaper way to increase the alcohol content in our drinks.

Methanol is impossible to detect without specialist equipment due to its similarities to ethanol but recognizing symptoms and getting treated as quickly as possible has saved many people. Death is not inevitable after consuming but serious symptoms can be on the line such as blindness. Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, lack of coordination and severe vomiting. These symptoms can be mistaken for spiking or simply going too far so people often leave it until it’s too late to get any help.

Even though in the UK we do not have to worry about this due to our impeccable quality control, it’s good to be careful in foreign countries where you are unaware of what you are being served. The backpackers were enticed with free shots and fell victim to being unaware of the dangers of drinking foreign alcohol in a foreign country.

If you are planning any holidays abroad in the future, remember to do your research beforehand or like these young travelers, your first independent holiday may be your last.

Should we be worried about methanol in alcohol?