Can you tell fake alcohol from real? Why methanol is so hard to detect

If you are soon travelling abroad, experts are urging vigilance after six tourists recently died, several of them from confirmed methanol poisoning — a nearly invisible killer that’s hard to spot in tainted alcohol.

Methanol is a clear, colourless alcohol used in all kinds of everyday products like industrial cleaners, solvents, paint, cosmetics and anti-freeze. While methanol itself is not harmful, it becomes deadly when consumed, explained Lewis Smith, manager of national…