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Num?ro d'archivage 20100207.0408
Date publi?e 07-F?VR.-2010
Sujet PRO/MBDS> Methanol, aldehyde contamination, fatal - Viet Nam: Ninh Thuan
METHANOL, ALDEHYDE CONTAMINATION, FATAL - VIET NAM: NINH THUAN
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A ProMED-mail post
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Date: Sat 6 Feb 2010
Source: VietNamNet Bridge/Thanh Nien [edited]
<http://english.vietnamnet.vn/Health/201002/Methanol-aldehyde-found-in-deadly-southern-Vietnam-rice-wine-893485/>
Methanol, aldehyde found in southern Viet Nam rice wine
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Rice wine with excessive chemical substances added to it killed 5
people and sent 23 to hospital between Saturday [30 Jan 2010] and
Monday [1 Feb 2010] in the central province of Ninh Thuan, a local
health official said on Wednesday [3 Feb 2010].
Ninh Thuan Health Department Director Le Minh Dinh said tests showed
that 2/3 of the liquor's samples taken from shops in Ma Trai Hamlet
in Phuoc Chien Commune contained methanol amounts 192 times higher
than regulated.
A chemical usually used in paint and fuel, methanol is highly toxic
for humans. As little as 100 milliliters of methanol can cause
blindness. Viet Nam limits methanol to 0.1 milligrams per liter for liquor.
The samples of rice wine, locally known as ruou trang, were also
found containing aldehyde, another toxic chemical, in quantities 7
times higher than regulated 20 milligrams per liter, according to the
tests conducted at the Pasteur Institute in the central province of
Khanh Hoa's Nha Trang.
Nguyen Nhi Linh, director of Ninh Thuan Preventive Health Department,
said high levels of methanol and aldehyde could cause swollen liver,
mental paralysis, and blindness, not to mention death in a few hours.
According to the health department, 2 of the 23 people hospitalized
were at risk of becoming blind.
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Communicated by:
PRO/MBDS
<promed-mbds@promedmail.org>
[Methanol is a type of alcohol not intended for human or animal
consumption. It is also referred to as wood alcohol and methyl
alcohol. Methanol is flammable and relatively volatile. It has no
taste or color.
It is used in industrial production and is also present in windshield
wiper fluid, antifreeze, and fuel additives. It is extremely
poisonous and mainly affects the neurological system, the
ophthalmological system and the gastrointestinal system. Methanol
poisoning is extremely serious and can result in death within a few
hours if not immediately treated (1).
Aldehyde is a group of highly reactive organic chemical compounds
obtained by oxidation of primary alcohols. Many aldehydes are useful
as solvents, monomers, perfume ingredients, preservatives, and
disinfectants. Human health risks from aldehydes include allergenic
hypersensitivity diseases, respiratory allergies, idiosyncratic drug
toxicity and toxic effects of aldehydes in liver disease. Also,
accumulation of aldehydes has been associated with various diseases,
particularly those associated with aging, including diabetes toxicity
(such as, nephropathy, cataractogenesis, cancer, contact dermatitis,
liver diseases, respiratory allergies, drug toxicity, sclerosing
peritonitis, and neurodegenerative diseases) (2).
From the newswire above, 5 people died and 23 people became ill from
rice wine contaminated with methanol and aldehyde. This is the 2nd
report of deaths resulting from drinking alcohol contaminated with
high methanol levels in Viet Nam since 2008. In the 1st incident, in
October 2008, 9 people died of methanol poisoning and another 18
cases were admitted to hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. A total of 9
alcohol brands were found to contain high levels of methanol,
exceeding the standard level by more than 172 times (see prior
PRO/MBDS posting Methanol poisoning, fatal - Viet Nam 20081015.3264).
References
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1. Kraut JA, Kurtz I. Toxic Alcohol Ingestions: Clinical Features,
Diagnosis, and Management. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008 Jan; 3(1):
208-25 (full article available at
<http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/cgi/content/full/3/1/208>)
2. O'Brien PJ, Siraki AG, Shangari N. Aldehyde sources, metabolism,
molecular toxicity mechanisms, and possible effects on human health.
Crit Rev Toxicol. 2005 Aug; 35(7): 609-62 (abstract available at
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16417045>)
For a map of Viet Nam with provinces, see
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:VietnameseProvincesMap.png>. The
interactive HealthMap/ProMED-mail map with direct links to other
outbreaks in Viet Nam and surrounding countries reported on
ProMED-mail and PRO/MBDS can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/r/00cr>. - Mod.SCM]
[see also:
2008
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Methanol contamination - Viet Nam (02): Alert 20081126.3721
Methanol poisoning, fatal - Viet Nam 20081015.3264
Methanol contamination - Viet Nam: alert 20081014.3252]
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