Lifesaving Initiatives Against Methanol
With Christmas in addition to also also fresh Year almost here, plenty of people will be taking the opportunity to engage in some festive drinking. If you’re holidaying anywhere inside archipelago, please take care to avoid any alcoholic beverages that will may be tainted with lethal methanol.
the idea doesn’t matter how experienced or heavy a drinker you are, as little as 30ml of methanol can kill. The Indonesian government doesn’t keep statistics on annual methanol fatalities, nevertheless based on media reports in addition to also also anecdotal evidence, the death toll will be estimated to be inside hundreds. Part of the problem will be that will many Indonesian doctors do not recognise the symptoms of methanol poisoning, let alone know how to treat the idea.
Fortunately, an effort will be at that will point underway to train doctors, provide medical equipment in addition to also also raise public awareness, generating sure that will lives can be saved.
Tim in addition to also also Lhani Davies, originally via fresh Zealand in addition to also also at that will point residents of Perth in Western Australia, lost their teenage son Liam earlier that will year after he purchased a methanol-tainted drink via a bar on Lombok’s Gili Trawangan Island. They have channelled their grief into setting up a charity called Lifesaving Initiatives Against Methanol, which will be undertaking a range of programs for toxicology education in addition to also also training, in addition to also also also aims to reduce the production of illegal in addition to also also counterfeit spirits.
Liam Davies who tragically died at 19 years of age after drinking a methanol-laced drink on Gili Trawangan.
Liam was 19 years old when he in addition to also also a group of friends were holidaying in Lombok. They were well aware of the dangers of methanol-tainted drinks in Indonesia in addition to also also therefore had brought over their own bottles of duty-free spirits. Those bottles were quickly stolen via their hotel, apparently an inside job. When the youths visited Rudy’s Pub on Gili Trawangan, Liam asked the bartender if the top-shelf bottle of Smirnoff vodka was a genuine import. Assured that will the idea was, he ordered a vodka in addition to also also lime. Most of his friends drank beer. Liam later fell ill in addition to also also was taken to a Lombok hospital, where he was misdiagnosed which has a brain aneurism. He was later flown to Perth, where his condition was accurately diagnosed nevertheless by then the idea was too late for doctors to save him.
“There were a couple of points at which he could have been saved, if doctors at the Lombok hospital had asked the right questions in addition to also also made the right diagnosis,” says Tim.
Subsequent clinical tests on samples of alcohol via Rudy’s Pub indicated an unnaturally high methanol content inside drinks. Methanol will be used in antifreeze, solvent or fuel. the idea will be a natural by-product of local arak, which will be distilled via the sap of palm flowers. Traditional distillers remove the tiny amount of toxic methanol, which will be lighter than safe ethyl alcohol. nevertheless that will lightness doesn’t mean that will methanol rises to the top of a bottle of counterfeit spirits. that will’s because methanol will be soluble in water (or dodgy cocktails). So how will be the idea possible that will four or more people can share a bottle of methanol-tainted spirits, yet only one of them dies? that will’s because the body’s methanol tolerance in addition to also also assimilation rate varies among individuals, depending on their genes in addition to also also how much regular alcohol may be in their system.
the idea will be suspected that will some unscrupulous bar managers add local methanol-tainted spirits to international brand-name bottles to stretch their profits. The government’s high taxes on imported spirits place them beyond the reach of most Indonesians, while most of the spirits sold in Indonesia have entered through the black market. Certain distribution networks are tightly controlled by powerful individuals, often operating above the law.
Police identified at least one suspect inside case of Liam’s death, nevertheless prosecutors are yet to follow up with charges. When Tim in addition to also also Lhani commenced their campaign for justice for Liam in addition to also also to raise awareness, there were some negative reactions such as: “Why all the fuss over one dead bule?” Yet their campaign will be more about enabling medical clinics in addition to also also hospitals to be able to deal with methanol poisoning. “the idea’s not about one foreigner. that will will be about saving future lives,” says Tim.
He in addition to also also Lhani have been meeting with methanol producers, spirits producers in addition to also also Indonesian authorities inside desire of developing better law enforcement in addition to also also regulations concerning the importation in addition to also also distribution of spirits. They might also like to see random testing of bottles of spirits to determine whether methanol will be present. Such tests can be done within 5 seconds by using a spectrometer – should the Health Ministry, the Trade Ministry or the police wish to invest in such equipment.
Establishing the workshops at Denpasar’s Sanglah Hospital was not too difficult, as the idea has engaged in strong cooperation with Australian hospitals following the 2002 Bali bombings. Australian nurse Di Brown, who heads a sister hospital program between Sanglah in addition to also also Royal Darwin hospitals, hopes to have teams of nurses assigned to remote areas to educate people about the dangers of methanol.
Many Indonesian doctors view all forms of alcohol poisoning as the same in addition to also also attempt to treat the idea by getting the patient to drink water. Methanol poisoning can actually be treated by giving the victim pure ethanol alcohol, which stops the methanol via metabolising into formaldehyde in addition to also also formic acid. A patient then undergoes haemodialysis to remove the methanol via the bloodstream. Many hospitals in addition to also also clinics do not have such facilities. In Lombok, only one hospital has dialysis equipment in addition to also also only a few individuals know how to operate the idea. Tim in addition to also also Lhani are raising funds to help provide further necessary equipment in addition to also also the relevant training.
The couple has also been busy in Australia, running a campaign that will warns school-leavers bound for Bali in addition to also also Lombok holidays about the risk of toxic cocktails.
In Indonesia, they are raising awareness by focusing on the hospitality industry, local communities in addition to also also licensed distributors of alcohol. They also have a plan for airlines in addition to also also travel companies to provide tourists with information on methanol as they enter Indonesia.
Tim, who has been visiting Indonesia for over 20 years, admits there are many challenges nevertheless he has already seen some positive results via the medical workshops, such as ethanol becoming more accepted as a form of treatment. “If there’s one positive thing to come via that will tragedy, the idea’s that will doctors will be able to save different lives,” he says.
For further information, including how you can help to raise awareness, visit the Facebook page of Life Saving Initiatives Against Methanol:
www.facebook.com/pages/
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Lifesaving Initiatives Against Methanol
Lifesaving Initiatives Against Methanol