The best friend of a woman who died from suspected methanol poisoning while on holiday in Laos has called for the government to do more to warn teenagers of the dangers of drinking alcohol abroad.
Simone White, 28, a lawyer from London, was one of six tourists who died in November after becoming unwell whilst visiting the town of Vang Vieng, a popular stop along the backpacker route in Southeast Asia.
Simone had been backpacking with two childhood friends, staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, which offered free shots thought to be tainted with methanol.
Also hospitalised was Bethany Clarke, Simone’s best friend, but she has since recovered. Bethany is now campaigning for a greater awareness of the risks of drinking alcohol abroad and methanol poisoning.
She told BBC Newsbeat that the group did not realise anything was wrong until they were kayaking the next day. Both she and Simone were flat on the backs of the kayaks, unable to move their arms.
“That was a moment where I thought I really don’t understand what’s happening to us. It just seemed like I was just having to accept my fate.”
It took them a while to get treated for methanol poisoning, as Bethany said the doctors kept blaming their sickness ion food poisoning.
Methanol, which is tasteless and odourless, has been used in the manufacture of counterfeit replicas of alcohol brands or illegal local spirits, such as vodka.
The chemical can rapidly lead to serious illness, with long-term effects such as blindness and permanent damage to the nervous system, as well as comas, or even death if there is substantial exposure.
Bethany is now hoping that the dangers of methanol poisoning will be taught in schools, and is warning others to be mindful when drinking alcohol.
“The advice is from me: ‘steer clear, drink beer’. Look up the symptoms, be mindful about where you’re drinking,” Bethany told the BBC.
“Just don’t let it be your best friend that dies from methanol poisoning.”
Bethany has also set up a petition calling for the dangers of methanol poisoning to be put in the school curriculum across the UK.
The petition states, “children should be taught the dangers of consuming bootleg alcohol as part of the PSHE and/or Biology curriculum in school”.
“I think it just needs to be a five-minute talk or possibly even some kind of public health advert, just giving the case study of Laos and saying this can happen,” Bethany says.
“If people want to take the risk and drink it, at least they’ve been educated, and then they might even be able to spot some of the symptoms if they do happen to drink it.”
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: ”We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Laos, and we are in contact with the local authorities.“
The Foreign Office has also included in its travel advice for Laos the warning to take care if alcohol is offered, particularly for free, or when buying a spirit-based drink.
“If labels, smell or taste seem wrong, then do not drink,” it states. It adds that to protect yourself from methanol poisoning, you should buy alcohol only from licensed liquor stores, at licensed bars and hotels, avoid homemade alcoholic drinks, check bottle seals are intact and check labels for poor print or incorrect spelling.
The Independent has contacted the Department for Education for comment.
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