Eight new destinations have been added to the FCDO travel recommendation regarding methanol poisoning.
The consumption of cheap or homemade alcoholic beverages that contain methanol can lead to blindness or death, warns the British Foreign Office. The new, expanded list includes Mexico, Russia, and Japan.
The British Foreign Office (FCDO) has expanded its warning about the dangers of methanol poisoning, adding eight more countries where such cases have been reported among British tourists.
The new warning now includes popular destinations such as Japan and Mexico, and expands recommendations already in place for countries like Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.
The update is part of the FCDO's information campaign "Know the Signs of Methanol Poisoning," created to raise awareness of the dangers associated with illegal or counterfeit drinks.
Hamish Falconer, the UK Minister for Consular Affairs and Crises, stated that methanol poisoning is often fatal and difficult to identify in time to save the victim.
"Early symptoms resemble regular alcohol poisoning," his statement said. "By the time travelers realize the danger, it may already be too late."
Which Destinations Are Now Included in the Warning?
The Foreign Office has added Japan, Mexico, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Russia, Kenya, and Bangladesh to the list.
The FCDO did not provide details about specific incidents in the new countries, but this decision was made as a result of collaboration with parliamentarians, health and travel experts, and families of victims affected by methanol poisoning. It also reflects growing concerns about counterfeit or unregulated alcohol in tourist areas.
Recent tragedies have shown how risky it is to purchase cheap drinks in bars, clubs, and tourist resorts.
Earlier this year, a British woman and a South African man died in the Vietnamese city of Hoi An, reportedly after consuming homemade limoncello.
At the end of 2024, six travelers, including a British citizen and two Danish nationals, died at the popular tourist resort of Vang Vieng in Laos after consuming alcoholic beverages containing methanol.
In Indonesia, more than 334 suspected cases of methanol poisoning have been reported since 2019, according to the database of Médecins Sans Frontières, which tracks methanol poisoning cases worldwide.
Most of these are linked to bootleg alcohol known as "arak." This unregulated, often homemade alcoholic beverage is typically distilled from palm flower sap or rice and sold in small shops in Bali, Lombok, and the Gili Islands, where tourists are among the victims each year, MSF reports.
What Is Methanol and Why Was the Travel Advice Updated?
Methanol is a type of industrial alcohol that is commonly used in antifreeze, paints, and cleaning products.
It looks and tastes similar to ethanol—the type of alcohol found in beverages—but it is highly toxic to humans. Even consuming a small amount can lead to catastrophic consequences.
Just 30 grams of pure methanol, which is the size of a standard shot glass, can result in death within 12–48 hours.
Early-stage symptoms of methanol poisoning may resemble a hangover or regular alcohol intoxication—nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and confusion—but can worsen within hours: vision problems, seizures, or respiratory failure may occur.
Since methanol is odorless and tasteless, travelers have no reliable way to know that a drink is dangerous.
The FCDO urges travelers to purchase only sealed drinks from licensed establishments and to avoid homemade or unmarked alcoholic beverages, pre-mixed cocktails, and drinks served in buckets or pitchers, like those sold in popular Southeast Asian locations.
The new guidance includes links to updated resources on the government’s Travel Aware website, detailing how to recognize methanol poisoning and what to do if symptoms arise.
Where Is Methanol Poisoning Most Common?
According to the MSF database, Indonesia tops the list of countries with the highest number of suspected methanol poisoning cases since 2019. The top ten in the database also includes India (140), Russia (121), Bangladesh (53), Pakistan (42), China (30), Cambodia (28), Iran (28), Vietnam (28), and Kenya (24).
The Médecins Sans Frontières database also tracks the number of people affected by methanol poisoning. By this measure, Iran leads the list with 9,600 affected individuals, while Ecuador—one of the new additions to the FCDO travel guidance—ranks 10th with 938 affected individuals.
Although thousands of people die from methanol poisoning each year, and Asia remains the most affected region, the inclusion of Japan on the list came as a surprise.
The MSF database contains only one case of methanol poisoning in Japan—more an act of domestic violence than an incident involving contaminated drink.
Euronews Travel reached out to the FCDO for further information on Japan's inclusion in the updated list.
