Prevent alcohol poisoning during the end of the year

As Tet approaches, the rate of patients hospitalized due to methanol (industrial alcohol) poisoning increases.

The major danger today is the situation of alcohol of unknown origin, fake alcohol or homemade alcohol that has not been tested for safety. In particular, some of these types of alcohol contain methanol - a substance that is extremely dangerous to human health. Methanol can cause serious damage to the liver, kidneys, central nervous system and can lead to blindness or death.

In addition to methanol, some homemade wines also contain acetaldehyde, furfural and other toxins produced during the fermentation process, causing damage to the liver, kidneys and nerves. Some craft wine producers now mix industrial alcohol into their wines to increase profits, making the wine dangerous.

At the end of the year, as the Lunar New Year approaches, the amount of alcohol and beer consumed increases dramatically due to parties, meetings and year-end summaries. This is also the time when the rate of alcohol poisoning increases, especially methanol poisoning, leading to many deaths and hospitalizations in critical condition. Therefore, raising awareness and vigilance about the harmful effects of using alcohol of unknown origin, as well as being cautious when attending parties, is extremely important.

Recently, when inspecting a restaurant in Chuong My district, Hanoi authorities discovered more than 500 liters of handmade colored wine of unknown origin. The owner of the establishment said that this amount of wine was ordered from people who brewed and soaked it themselves. Knowing that selling wine of unknown origin would result in fines, the owner of the establishment still continued to do business for profit.

The problem of fake and smuggled alcohol has never cooled down and there have been many heartbreaking incidents when victims used these types of alcohol.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center (Bach Mai Hospital), at the end of the year, the Center often receives many cases of alcohol poisoning, including severe cases due to drinking too much ethanol (regular alcohol). The Center has discovered many alcohol-based disinfectant products with very high methanol concentrations, accounting for 70-90%. Many people buy this alcohol to mix into wine for sale.

Notably, deaths from alcohol poisoning are on the rise. Patients are admitted to the hospital in a deep coma, with very high blood alcohol levels and requiring emergency ventilators. If not treated promptly, these patients may not survive.

According to doctors at the Department of Neurosurgery (Bach Mai Hospital), in addition to the risks of alcohol containing industrial alcohol, drinking too much alcohol also causes serious harm. Many studies have shown that excessive alcohol consumption causes brain atrophy and nerve cell degeneration.

To ensure consumer health and limit the use of hand-made wine of unknown origin, Ms. Tran Viet Nga, Director of the Department of Food Safety ( Ministry of Health ) said that from now until the end of the year, the authorities need to strengthen inspection and control of production and trading activities of products displayed and circulated in the area. Thereby, early detection, thorough tracing of the origin of violations; resolutely handle violations, especially acts of counterfeiting, imitation, use of prohibited materials in wine production and trading establishments and publicize violations according to the provisions of law. At the same time, strengthen communication; request units and people not to use wine without stamps.

In addition, provinces and cities continue to inform and propagate on the media to raise awareness of the harmful effects of alcohol; responsibility for ensuring food safety in alcohol production and trading.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/ngan-chan-ngo-doc-ruou-trong-dip-cuoi-nam-d232164.html