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TThe news of the tragic death of several US tourists in the Dominican Republic in May 2019 has sparked an uproar and frenzy in the media. As of June 30, there were at least nine deaths in similar circumstances in recent months. The FBI and the Dominican authorities are investigating. One theory is that alcohol is the cause of these deaths.
The FBI reportedly took alcohol samples for analysis and the hotels in which tourists have died removed the alcohol from the minibars of the hotel rooms. But concerns are growing and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), on June 30, 2019, recommended that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention facilitate the ongoing investigation.
Many people may find it puzzling that alcohol, especially adulterated or counterfeit alcohol, may have caused these deaths. However, some experts seem to agree that the symptoms and circumstances correspond to the indicators of death caused by adulterated alcohol.
As a public health professor, I must note that research now shows that no amount of alcohol is considered to be healthy for your health, and that alcohol is related to many cancers and heart disease and that it also contributes to road accidents. violence and suicide. Even in this case, counterfeit or illegally manufactured alcohol brings a new level of risk as it is not monitored from the point of view of safety and may include additional ingredients, such as methanol, which one know that they are extremely harmful to health.
See also: What happens when you stop drinking occasionally? Scientists reveal the effects
False, illegal and adulterated
With stringent alcohol regulation, Americans may not see much and do not hear much about counterfeiting in the United States, but in many other parts of the world, there is Counterfeit or "illegal" alcohol is more common and constitutes a growing public health problem.
Counterfeit or illegal alcohol is part of a broader qualified category of alcohol "not registered" as it is not listed in official statistics and it is not controlled for its quality and for its taxation. The World Health Organization estimates that 25% of the alcohol consumed in the world is not registered.
Counterfeit alcohol is generally designed to look like legitimate alcohol, such as finer wines and expensive spirits, in terms of presentation, taste, and packaging. But there are also other types of alcohol considered illegal, such as "lunar" or "illegal" alcohol, or simply alcohol made by less rigorous methods and which contains additional ingredients to make it faster or cheaper.
One of the key aspects of illegal or counterfeit alcohol is that producers distil alcohol cheaply and quickly by using dangerous shortcuts, such as adding alcohol. water and methanol, also called methyl alcohol, which is highly toxic. Methanol is not intended for human consumption and can cause liver damage, blindness and death if consumed. Earlier this year, toxic alcohol had killed at least 154 people in India because it was contaminated with methanol.
The alcohol to which special ingredients are added is usually referred to as adulterated alcohol. Sometimes, those who make counterfeit alcohol add ingredients not only to make it cheaper, but also to improve the taste or enhance the high. The added ingredients may vary.
In Kenya, for example, one of the popular types of alcohol brewed illegally is called Chang-aa or "Kill me quick". Indeed, it usually contains a very high concentration of alcohol and is often also falsified with harmful ingredients such as jet fuel or dotted with the liquid embalming mortuaries. This type of alcohol is usually consumed in urban slums by vulnerable and poor people who want the cheapest type of alcohol with the most 'high'.
Siphon sales of Legit Booze
INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization, says that counterfeiting of alcohol is a major concern in the world. In 2018, during one operation, he stated that "16 million tonnes and 33 million liters of potentially dangerous counterfeit food and beverages were seized for an estimated value of $ 117 million" . In Europe, wine and spirits are among the top five sectors.
Counterfeit wine is becoming more common and now represents a $ 1 billion market. In China, for example, wine counterfeiting is so common that it has been described as an epidemic, especially with regard to the finer wines.
according to Forbes, Asian buyers make up the majority of buyers of fine wines (60%) sold at Sotheby's auction all over the world. And it turned out that a very expensive bottle of wine sold for $ 157,000 at Christie's in London, which broke a record at that time in 1985, was a fake.
But more recently, in May 2019, an operation in Ukraine seized a major counterfeit alcohol transaction.
More than just money at stake
Although loss of revenue is a major concern for law enforcement and business, travel advisories to Americans traveling abroad are sometimes issued because of the risks involved. to the consumption of contaminated alcohol. One was issued in 2017 in a complex in Mexico. Similarly, in June 2019, 23 people died and 10 patients were treated with methanol-contaminated alcohol in Nigeria.
The reality is that counterfeit or toxic alcohol is prevalent in many parts of the world, even in unexpected places. So, the next time you travel abroad and you're looking for an alcoholic beverage, especially a thinner wine or liquor, take a second look at this bottle.
Travel experts from the US Overseas Security Advisory Council have compiled a list of tips for drinking abroad. In particular, they recommend to tourists traveling abroad:
1. Do not drink homemade alcohol or counterfeit.
2. Do not do too much.
3. Do not compete with the inhabitants and their brewing.
4. Do not leave your drink in the dark.
In addition, the Trading Standards Institute in the United Kingdom advises you to detect fake alcohol. It is essential to remember to pay attention to the place, the price, the packaging and the product, said the group. More importantly, if the alcohol tastes or tastes bad, do not drink it.
The medical and public health community is worrying more and more of the dangerous effects of alcohol, new research shows that there is no harmless alcohol . That said, if you choose to drink, especially abroad, make sure that the alcohol you drink is what you drink, and that you stay shaken or not, but not poisoned.
This article was originally published on The Conversation by Monica H. Swahn. Read the original article here.
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