7 Russian Villagers Die After Sharing 'Hand Sanitizer' Instead of Alcohol

Hand sanitizer products consumed by residents.
[Image source = Screenshot from the 'Consumer Rights Protection and Welfare Supervision Agency' (Rospotrebnadzor) website][Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A tragedy occurred in a village in Russia's Far East where residents drank hand sanitizer containing a large amount of methanol instead of alcohol, resulting in the deaths of seven people.

According to foreign media on the 22nd, on the 18th, nine residents of the village of Tomtor in the Tatynskin region of the Sakha (Yakutiya) Republic shared and drank 5 liters of hand sanitizer at a house as a substitute for alcohol. Since then, seven of the nine residents, including a 41-year-old woman, have died, and two are currently reported to be in an unconscious state.

Local investigative authorities have confirmed that they purchased the hand sanitizer from a nearby store. In response, Russia's health, hygiene, and quarantine authority, the "Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing" (Rospotrebnadzor), has restricted the sale of the hand sanitizer manufacturer’s products and warned residents not to drink hand sanitizer.

Methanol included in the hand sanitizer, also known as methyl alcohol, is a toxic substance that can be fatal if ingested.

Recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for hand sanitizers has increased, and products containing methanol have been sold in the market. The hand sanitizer involved in this incident reportedly contained 69% methanol according to ingredient analysis.

Meanwhile, a similar incident occurred in the United States in May and June. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that after analyzing hospital data from Arizona and New Mexico, 15 people who ingested hand sanitizer containing methanol were hospitalized, and four of them died.