AT least 25 people have died after drinking 90p bottles of bootleg vodka laced with methanol.
A nursery school teacher has been arrested after being accused of supplying poisoned moonshine.
East2WestOlga Stepanova, 60, was detained on suspicion of distributing poisoned alcohol in Russia[/caption]
East2WestBottles of moonshine found by cops[/caption]
East2WestA stash of bootleg vodka seized by authorities in Russia[/caption]
More deaths are feared from the fake vodka in Russia’s Leningrad region.
Elevated levels of methanol were found in the bodies of those deceased.
“Forensic medical examination of the bodies of six deceased persons … had revealed high or lethal levels of methanol,” Russia’s main investigative body said.
More than 1,000 litres of counterfeit alcohol have been seized, according to Russian news reports.
Olga Stepanova, 60, is accused of supplying moonshine to a man who then sold the fake vodka for 90p a bottle.
The man’s wife is said to be among the dead.
Police have arrested eight more suspects for home production and distribution of the deadly fake alcohol, it is understood.
Methanol is a type of alcohol commonly found in cleaning products, fuel and antifreeze.
It’s similar to ethanol, which is used for alcoholic drinks, but is more toxic to humans because it turns to formic acid when processed by the body.
Even a tiny amount can mess with your system, causing vision problems, permanent damage to your central nervous system, or, in extreme cases, death.
Because it is tasteless and has only a faint smell, it is impossible to tell if a drink has methanol in it.
Booze can become contaminated with methanol if it is manufactured poorly.
The chemical is also sometimes used in counterfeit or homemade alcohol to cut costs, which means it’s most likely to show up in shady local spirits or cheap cocktails, Travel Aware says.
Methanol poisoning is a known problem with cheap spirits in South East Asia where hundreds of people are poisoned each year, according to the charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Why is methanol so deadly?
By Sam Blanchard, Health Correspondent
Methanol is a super-toxic version of alcohol that may be present in drinks if added by crooks to make them stronger or if they are brewed or distilled badly.
The consequences can be devastating because as little as a single shot of contaminated booze could be deadly, with just 4ml of methanol potentially enough to cause blindness.
Prof Oliver Jones, a chemist at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said: “The body converts methanol to formic acid.
“Formic acid blocks the action of an enzyme that is critical to how the body uses oxygen to generate energy.
“If it stops working, cells cannot take up or use oxygen from the blood and lack of oxygen causes problems in a range of organs as the cells start to die.
“Symptoms of methanol poisoning include vomiting, seizures and dizziness.
“The optic nerve seems to be particularly vulnerable to methanol toxicity, so there is the potential for temporary or permanent blindness, and even death.
“While thankfully rare, methanol poisoning is very serious, and treatment should be given at a hospital.”
As little as 30ml of methanol can be fatal to humans, but poisoning can be treated if caught 10 to 30 hours after consuming dodgy booze.
Cheap home-made spirits using alcohol substitutes remain widely available, particularly in rural areas with low standards of living and where the price of vodka is prohibitively high.
Earlier this week, prosecutors sentenced two people to almost a decade in prison for manufacturing and selling a counterfeit cider drink that killed 50 people in 2023.
And in 2016, more than 60 people died in Irkutsk in Siberia after drinking contraband bath oil that contained methanol.
More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.
Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun