Lethal booze alert issued

THE HSE has issued a public health alert after a man ended up seriously ill in hospital after drinking highly toxic methanol from a vodka bottle sold in Ballymun.

It’s believed the vodka bottle – bought locally from an unrecognised vendor – had been re-filled with the dangerous colourless, liquid alcohol.

Gardaí in Ballymun and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland are investigating the incident and the HSE is warning about the dangers of fake or counterfeit alcohol.

“Only buy alcohol from a recognised shop, off-licence or licenced premises,” a HSE spokesperson said.

“If you bought alcohol from an unrecognised seller, do not drink it. Hand the bottle in to your local Garda station to help in the investigation of this incident.

“If you recently drank alcohol from a bottle bought on the street and are concerned about symptoms, seek urgent medical advice.”

Methanol is contained in solvents, anti-freeze and windscreen wash. Also called methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol or wood spirit, consumption can cause kidney failure, blindness or even death.

People who drink methanol may initially have symptoms of loss of balance, staggering, slurred speech and eye tremor.

There may be a gap of 12-24 hours before symptoms of poisoning develop. These can include headache, confusion, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and rapid breathing. In severe cases, convulsions and coma can develop.

Bootleggers often add methanol in order to increase potency or to mask when legal alcohol has been watered down.