![]() Irkutsk, the location of the poisonings, overlaid on a map of Siberia and nearby countries | |
Date | December 2016 |
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Location | Irkutsk, Russia |
Cause | Consumption of fraudulent surrogate alcohol |
Deaths | 74 |
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In December 2016, over 70 people died[A] and another 49 were hospitalized in a mass methanol poisoning in the Russian city of Irkutsk. Precipitated by the consumption of fraudulent surrogate alcohol, the incident was the deadliest methanol poisoning in Russia's post-Soviet history.
Russian consumption of surrogate alcohol rose rapidly in the early 2010s amid worsening economic conditions. Surrogates cost less than government-regulated vodka, and they were commonly available from supermarkets, strategically placed vending machines, and other shops.
In the Irkutsk incident, the victims drank hawthorn-scented bath oil. While the product was typically made with and labeled as containing drinkable ethanol, at least one batch was made instead with methanol. When even a small amount is ingested by humans, methanol acts as a nerve toxin. If untreated, it severely damages the optic nerve, causes paralysis, and eventually leads to unconsciousness.
A government investigation found that the methanol was sourced from an employee of a local windshield washer fluid production facility. In response to the poisoning, in mid-2017 the Russian government increased the legal punishments for illegally producing and selling alcohol and made it more difficult to acquire surrogate alcohols by banning the surrogate-containing vending machines.
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