Avoid cocktails in Bali and Southeast Asia to prevent methanol poisoning that has blinded tourists.

Ashley King woke up blind after her drinks were tainted with methanol during a vacation in Bali Methanol is a normal byproduct of the distillation process, routinely removed in regulated alcohol manufacturing. But illegal distillers may not pour off that methanol correctly

King also claimed that the tainted alcohol is then sold back to restaurants, bars, hotels and other drinking establishments Ashley King, who lost her vision after methanol poisoning stemming from a drink she had while on vacation in Bali , recently released a video along with a petition to increase awareness of the potentially deadly chemical lurking in some cocktails. In Iran, at least 10 people died in 2023 after drinking homemade liquor spiked with methanol, AP previously reported. A woman (not pictured) has shared her story of going blinding after drinking a tainted cocktail while she was on vacation in Bali.

Tragically every year in Bali, tourists are hospitalized as a result of methanol poisoning during their vacation on the Island of the Gods

It mainly affects poorer countries- outbreaks are common in Indonesia, India, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Methanol poisoning has long been a well-known issue across South East Asia, particularly in the poorer countries along the Mekong river.

It is almost impossible to tell by taste or smell if a drink contains Methanol rather than safely produced alcohol. Ashely King, from the U.S., visited Bali in 2011 and lost her sight after drinking a cocktail at a bar in Kuta. Much of the prevailing advice suggests that tourists should not order spirits or hard liquor from any bars in Bali, sticking rather to beers, wines, or bottles of pre-mixed alcohol. Tourists traveling to Bali during this festive season, or at any time, are reminded that methanol poisoning is common in Bali and around Southeast Asia. Sadly, while over a decade ago, there are still frequent reports of alcohol poisoning, also known as methanol poisoning, happening in Bali every year. The government travel advice bureau suggests that tourists in Bali and Lombok should “be careful drinking cocktails and drinks made with spirits, drink only at reputable licensed premises, avoid home-made alcoholic drinks [and to check] labels on bottles aren’t always accurate.”

The full list of countries listed as posing a risk of methanol poisoning are: Brazil, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, and Vietnam. Twenty-nine destinations now carry methanol poisoning warnings on UK government travel advice, including popular tourist destinations such as Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam.