Eight further countries have now been added to the UK Foreign Office travel warning list over the danger of methanol poisoning from fake or contaminated alcoholic drinks.
The updated list, released on October 21, now includes Ecuador, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Russia, and Uganda, after incidents involving British travelers in these destinations.
These countries join others already on the list, such as Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica, and Fiji, following several high-profile cases, including the deaths of six tourists in Laos last year.
In recent years, methanol poisoning has become an increasing concern in several Southeast Asian countries in particular. Methanol, a liquid used to produce fuel, plastics, and solvents, tastes identical to ethanol, the type of alcohol found in beverages. It is sometimes added to drinks as a cheap substitute, posing serious risks to anyone who consumes it.
Want to learn more about methanol to be able to take the necessary precautions? Then click through the following gallery.