Travellers warned of methanol poisoning risks in new campaign
BBCWhen Calum MacDonald visited a bar in Laos he experienced "a blinding kaleidoscopic light" permanently impairing his vision, less than two days after having a drink.
Like a number of other travellers, MacDonald had been poisoned by methanol.
As thousands of holidaymakers prepare for travel, MacDonald is part of a UK government campaign raising awareness of the risks that turned his life upside down.
MacDonald, who is in his 20s and from Surrey, told BBC Breakfast he was unaware of the dangers when travelling in 2024 and if he had known "I probably would be in a different situation today".
Methanol is a highly toxic industrial strength form of alcohol that can sometimes be found in counterfeit, illegally produced or contaminated alcoholic drinks.
As little as 30ml - about a single shot - can be fatal to an adult, while smaller amounts can cause serious and permanent harm, including blindness.
Twenty-nine destinations now carry methanol poisoning warnings on UK government travel advice, including popular tourist destinations such as Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam.
Among those to die after consuming methanol was Margaret McKie's 38-year-old daughter Kirsty.
Kirsty, originally from Stockport, was living in Bali and engaged to a man who owned a wine business and restaurant, so was cautious about only buying alcohol from reputable suppliers.
"When Kirsty became ill it didn't occur to her for a second that [methanol poisoning] was what could be wrong," McKie told BBC Breakfast.
"She was fairly tired, she'd been working hard, she'd had a couple of drinks, she just thought she had a hangover, she didn't seek help and when she lost consciousness her fiance got her to the hospital and by that point it was too late to save her."
McKie argued it was important for people to not only be prevented from drinking alcohol laced with methanol but to also understand the symptoms to get help in time.
"Look out for your friends, if you notice a friend who seems more ill, get them help," McKie said.
Some of the symptoms of methanol poisoning can include:
- Vomiting, poor judgement, loss of balance and drowsiness are early signs
- 12-48 hours after drinking symptoms can include abdominal pain, vertigo, hyperventilation, breathlessness, blurred vision and/or blindness, coma and convulsions
- Vision issues are a distinctive red flag, particularly blurry vision, trouble looking at bright lights, and in some cases complete blindness. "Snowfield vision" (seeing snowy static like an old TV) or tunnel vision can also occur
MacDonald also advised people look out for each other while travelling and to know the risks.
"Enjoy your travel but ultimately it's really important to have all the information that you possibly can before you do go to these places because I think ultimately it's very difficult to ultimately eliminate all risk," he said.
"If you have the information at hand and you can recognise situations in which you might be at higher risk and you can recognise the symptoms and then you can mitigate those risks and do the best you can to look after yourself and look after your friends."
Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer said the government was using the campaign to amplify its own travel advice for people to check the Foreign Office's warnings.
Asked how this information reaches young people such as backpackers who may not be visiting government websites, Falconer said the campaign was using a range of ways.
"We're partnering with influencers on TikTok, YouTube, other influencer channels... we're trying to make sure that we get [the campaign] out through all the channels," Falconer said on BBC Breakfast.
"The campaigners and families have been working with other people too to try and make sure there's content out there so it's now in the PSHE [Personal, Social, Health and Economic education] curriculum, it's being pushed online, trying to make sure it gets wide reach."
