please share this with young people going on holiday/travelling and keep them safe

[highlandcoo]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9929dg5l5lo

I'm part of this group of bereaved families and friends, working to spread awareness about the dangers of methanol poisoning.
It's so much more widespread than is generally realised. As well as typical backpacker destinations like Vietnam, Indonesia and Laos, it's now happening in holiday resorts in Turkey, Greece and recently, we have heard, even Mallorca.
And this is the time of year when young people are heading off on holiday or on gap years. We want them to travel and have a great experience, but to be well informed about this risk so that they come home safely.
Everyone knows about spiking and we need the dangers of methanol to be equally well understood.

This poor lad went blind because of it but says he was lucky to be alive as 2 other girls died. His mum was on TV yesterday advising people to only drink cans, cider or beer. On the countries listed I don't know why they haven't mentioned the Greek Islands. Zante is one of them which is know for this.

Laos is notorious for tourist deaths involving alcohol or alcohol and doing stupid things.

Australia has a lot of young backpackers go there (it ‘s not as far as from the U.K.) and they’ve updated the travel advice as the Laotian authorities don’t really do regulation. The country as a whole has no sense of health and safety at all.

(I have been).

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/17/distillery-owner-could-face-only-three-months-in-jail-over-alleged-poisoning-australian-teenagers?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Thank you for highlighting this
I had no idea

@Huckleberries lots of people are unaware of this growing threat. We aim to change that if we can.

There are interviews on Good Morning Britain and the BBC which are easy to google and find to learn more.

Can I also recommend the government's Travel Aware page - we've worked with the Foreign office to make the advice about methanol poisoning as good as possible.

@Iloveeverycat you are right to mention Zante. Hannah Powell lost her sight after experiencing methanol poisoning there:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-47253162

and a group of young men had a narrow escape:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6942865/alcohol-poison-laganas-zante-lads/

Yes, Laos it a huge one for Aussie backpackers. We've just had a huge media thing as two young women died. A british woman at the same time.

Unfortunately, it's just come back from the laos investigation as unable to confirm the source. Everyone knows it's from the hostel bar as others have come forward after being very ill & realised the cause. It's just clear no action will be taken.

Bali is another one (although they're stamping out the drinking culture holidays so it's improving). It's horrendous.

I am completely behind this, and thank you for posting - our children go out and explore the world, which is now typical rather than unusual, and it is great. Of course (and especially on MUMSNET😁) every parent will have warned about getting appropriate insurance, not doing things that invalidate the insurance (moped use) EHICs, don't leave your drink unattended (spiking) or yourself vulnerable, have a copy of your passport on your phone, keep it charged, don't have ice (some countries), brush your teeth in bottled water la la la. Most of it seems obvious, but the methanol thing is an unpleasant and insidious threat, that when they are a "few cans in" and there is a party atmosphere. I can imagine plenty of people falling for it. Awful.