Why methanol poisoning is deadly and how it can be treated | Explained

The story so far: As of 2 pm on June 20, as many as 34 people had died after consuming spurious liquor in Kallakurichi district of Tamil Nadu while more than 80 others were receiving treatment in hospitals. In many older cases, spurious liquor has typically been a homemade liquor to which methanol was added to strengthen the intoxicating effects and/or to increase its bulk volume. The methanol molecule consists of one carbon atom bonded with three hydrogen atoms and one hydroxyl group. According to a paper published by the journal Archives of Toxicology in January 2022, consuming methanol also leads to “methanol-induced optic neuropathy …, a serious condition that may result in long-term or irreversible visual impairment or even blindness damage and loss of function of the optic nerve and retina”. Healthcare workers may also have the individual undergo a dialysis to remove methanol and formic acid salts from the blood, and mitigate damage to the kidneys and the retina.