Need help right now?
If someone needs immediate help with methanol poisoning, use emergency mode.
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DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — A person drank homemade liquor, adulterated alcohol, or methanol — may seem drunk at first but vision and breathing can fail.
The essentials if you need to act right now.
Call 112 and Poison Control. No more alcohol. Hospital fast — vision or breathing can fail.
What might I see? Observable signs — no diagnosis required.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Blurred vision, "looking through snow," eye pain.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Severe headache, vomiting, confusion, fast breathing.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Multiple people ill after same local alcohol source.
Optional deeper explanation — not required to act.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Methanol is converted to formaldehyde and formic acid in the body — damages eyes, brain, and organs. Symptoms may delay 12-24 hours.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Spurious liquor outbreaks often affect many people — alert others who drank from same source.
Check the scene before you approach.
Civilian-safe actions you can take.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call 112 and Poison Control. Say suspected methanol/toxic alcohol.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Save sample of liquor if safely available.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do not wait for vision symptoms — early hospital care improves survival.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Keep airway open. CPR if unresponsive.
When and how to get professional help.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Identify what was taken, call Poison Control and emergency services, and follow their instructions. Do not guess treatments.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call 112. Say: "Suspected methanol/spurious liquor poisoning."
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Report number of affected people if outbreak.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Hospital antidote (fomepizole or ethanol under medical control) and dialysis may be lifesaving.
Dangerous actions, when not to attempt rescue, and common myths.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT treat with "hair of the dog" — more alcohol is dangerous unless hospital gives specific antidote under supervision.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT induce vomiting unless instructed.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If you can still walk and talk, spurious liquor did not harm you
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Methanol damage can appear hours later. Early treatment before symptoms prevents blindness and death.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Delayed hospital care until irreversible eye or brain injury.
Other scenarios in the same family.
Child swallowed poison
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — A child has swallowed household cleaner, medicine, plants, or another toxic substance. Small amounts can be serious in children.
Alcohol poisoning
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — A person who drank heavily is unconscious, vomiting, breathing slowly, or cannot be woken — beyond normal drunkenness.
Adult swallowed poison
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — An adult has swallowed an unknown or known toxic substance — household chemical, medicine, or other poison.
Button battery
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Someone swallowed a small coin-shaped battery from a toy, remote, or watch. It can burn through tissue within hours.