Edit filter log

'{{Short description|Mass methanol poisoning in Irkutsk, in Siberia}} {{Good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}} {{Infobox event|date=December 2016|deaths=74|cause=Consumption of fraudulent [[surrogate alcohol]]|location=[[Irkutsk]], Russia|map={{maplink|frame=yes|type=point|text=Irkutsk, the location of the poisonings, overlaid on a map of [[Siberia]] and nearby countries|coord={{coord|52|17|N|104|17|E}}|zoom=2}}}}{{external media|image1=[https://www.rferl.org/a/siberia-russia-lotion-deaths-alcohol/28186340.html An example of hawthorn-scented bath oil]}} In December 2016, 74 people died and another 49 were hospitalized in a mass [[Methanol toxicity|methanol poisoning]] in the Russian city of [[Irkutsk]]. Precipitated by drinking fraudulent [[surrogate alcohol]], the [[Associated Press]] news agency said that this incident's high human toll was "unprecedented in its scale" among alcohol poisonings in the country.<ref name="AP" /> Russian consumption of surrogate alcohol rose rapidly in the early 2010s amid worsening economic conditions. Surrogates cost less than government-regulated [[vodka]], and they were commonly available from supermarkets, strategically placed vending machines, and other shops. In the Irkutsk incident, the victims drank [[Crataegus monogyna|hawthorn]]-scented bath oil. While the product was typically made with and labeled as containing drinkable [[ethanol]], at least one batch was made instead with methanol. When even a small amount is ingested by humans, methanol acts as a nerve toxin. If untreated, it severely damages the [[optic nerve]], causes paralysis, and eventually leads to unconsciousness. In the aftermath of the poisoning, regulations on surrogate alcohols were tightened around the country. Politicians announced a temporary ban on non-food items with more than 25 percent alcohol, and the legal minimum price of vodka was lowered so it could better compete with surrogates. == Background == {{see also|Alcohol consumption in Russia}} [[File:Total alcohol consumption per capita - litres of pure alcohol - 2015.svg|upright=2|thumb|Average alcohol consumption per person in 2015 per World Health Organization data|alt=A map of the world with countries sorted by the number of liters of alcohol that were consumed per person in 2015. Russia is in the 10–12 liter range.]] In the 2010s, [[economy of Russia|Russia's economy]] suffered from [[Russian financial crisis (2014–2017)|a financial crisis]], depressed [[oil price]]s, and [[International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War|international sanctions put into place]] during the [[2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine|Ukrainian crisis]].<ref name="AP">{{cite news|url=https://www.apnews.com/c0c419587e7d44ec8a6c6ac2685b8f2a/Alcohol-poisoning-death-toll-in-Russian-city-rises-to-48|title=Alcohol poisoning death toll in Russian city rises to 49|last=Isachenkov|first=Vladimir|date=2016-12-19|work=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=2016-12-19|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220183656/https://www.apnews.com/c0c419587e7d44ec8a6c6ac2685b8f2a/Alcohol-poisoning-death-toll-in-Russian-city-rises-to-48|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYT follow-up">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/18/world/europe/russia-tainted-booze-putin.html|title=Where the Booze Can Kill, and Putin Is Deemed a 'Good Czar'|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|last=MacFarquhar|first=Neil|authorlink=Neil MacFarquhar|date=2017-02-18|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=26 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226180546/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/18/world/europe/russia-tainted-booze-putin.html|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://carnegie.ru/2017/02/02/decline-not-collapse-bleak-prospects-for-russia-s-economy-pub-67865|title=Decline, Not Collapse: The Bleak Prospects for Russia's Economy|last=Movchan|first=Andrey|date=2017-02-02|publisher=[[Carnegie Moscow Center]]|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=6 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306210330/http://carnegie.ru/2017/02/02/decline-not-collapse-bleak-prospects-for-russia-s-economy-pub-67865|url-status=live}}<!--linked to from NYT follow-up article--></ref> With the resultant reduction in salaries and increases in poverty, Russian people were forced to take drastic measures. In 2017, for instance, approximately half of the country's population was growing fruits and vegetables to supplement their diet, caused in part by a doubling in food prices in the preceding two years.<ref name="NYT follow-up"/> For alcohol, Russian citizens were one of the [[List of countries by alcohol consumption per capita|highest consumers per capita in the world]] with an average yearly consumption of {{convert|11.7|L|gal|sp=us}} as of 2016, according to the [[World Health Organization]].<ref name="WHO 2018 pub">{{Cite book |first1=Vladimir |last1=Poznyak |first2=Dag |last2=Rekve |date=2018 |title=Global status report on alcohol and health 2018 |url=https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/274603/9789241565639-eng.pdf#page=345 |chapter=Appendix I |location=Geneva |publisher=[[World Health Organization]] |page=345 |isbn=978-92-4-156563-9}}</ref>{{efn-ua|The World Health Organization said that their estimated consumption total covers "recorded and unrecorded alcohol per capital consumption" in individuals aged 15 or higher.<ref name="WHO 2018 pub"/>}} The economic situation led many to turn to less-regulated [[surrogate alcohol]]s because their cost was half that of the cheapest vodka, whose price was regulated by the Russian government.<ref name="NYT follow-up"/><ref name="DW"/><ref name="Guardian">{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Shaun |date=2016-12-19 |title=Siberian city declares emergency as dozens die from drinking alcoholic bath tincture |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/19/russia-irkutsk-surrogate-alcohol-siberia |access-date=2024-08-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB}}</ref> Experts estimated that surrogate alcohols made up twenty percent of the total alcohol consumed in Russia,<ref name="NYT follow-up"/><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Пузырев |first1=Денис |last2=Кравцов |first2=Антон |date=24 November 2016 |title=Расследование РБК: как «аптечный алкоголизм» покоряет Россию |work=[[RBK Group]] |url=https://www.rbc.ru/investigation/business/24/11/2016/5836fabd9a7947f82e05d12b |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125044034/https://www.rbc.ru/investigation/business/24/11/2016/5836fabd9a7947f82e05d12b |archive-date=25 November 2016}}</ref> a figure echoed by the Russian Deputy Prime Minister [[Alexander Khloponin]] in November 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title=Russia bath lotion kills 49 drinkers in Irkutsk|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38363441|work=[[BBC News]]|date=2016-12-20|access-date=2016-12-20|archive-date=17 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117100926/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38363441|url-status=live}}</ref> Other experts estimated that greater than ten million Russians routinely purchased such alcohol, and that its consumption had increased by as much as 65 percent since the introduction of an alcohol [[excise tax]] in 2009.<ref name="Walker248">{{cite book|last=Walker|first=Shaun|title=The Long Hangover: Putin's New Russia and the Ghosts of the Past|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=2018|isbn=978-0-19-065924-0|page=248}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ellyatt |first=Holly |date=2015-02-04 |title=Russia cuts vodka prices on moonshine fears |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/02/04/russia-cuts-vodka-prices-as-drinkers-turn-to-moonshine.html |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> Such a widespread use of surrogate alcohols led to increasing amounts of [[alcohol poisoning]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Andreev |first=Evgeny |last2=Bogoyavlensky |first2=Dmitri |last3=Stickley |first3=Andrew |date=11 January 2013 |title=Comparing Alcohol Mortality in Tsarist and Contemporary Russia: Is the Current Situation Historically Unique? |url=https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/alcalc/ags132 |journal=Alcohol and Alcoholism |language=en |volume=48 |issue=2 |pages=215–221 |doi=10.1093/alcalc/ags132 |issn=0735-0414}}<!--this specific study was cited in the Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/12/19/33-people-dead-from-alcohol-poisoning-after-drinking-bath-lotion-in-siberian-city/--></ref><ref name="RFERL">{{Cite news |date=2016-12-21 |title=Putin Demands Curbs On Surrogate Alcohol After 62 Die In Siberia |language=en |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-surrogate-alcohol-lotion-siberia-deaths/28189056.html |access-date=2023-03-09 |archive-date=9 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309050532/https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-surrogate-alcohol-lotion-siberia-deaths/28189056.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Russia's government agency devoted to consumer protection, [[Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing|Rospotrebnadzor]], recorded about 36,000 such poisonings in the first nine months of 2016, resulting in over 9,000 deaths.<ref name="RFERL"/> The Irkutsk mass methanol poisoning was caused by a fraudulently produced batch of bath oil named {{lang|ru-Latn|boyaryshnik}} or ''{{lang|ru|Боярышник}}'', after its [[Crataegus monogyna|hawthorn]] scent or flavor.<ref name="NYT follow-up" /><ref name="Vice" /> It has also been described as a lotion.<ref name="DW">{{Cite news |first=Nick |last=Connolly |title=A city in shock |date=2016-12-25 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/siberian-city-in-shock-after-russian-bath-lotion-deaths/a-36885336 |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=[[Deutsche Welle]] |language=en |archive-date=9 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309050903/https://www.dw.com/en/siberian-city-in-shock-after-russian-bath-lotion-deaths/a-36885336 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-12-21 |title=Russia bath lotion poisoning: Number of dead rises to 58 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38384892 |access-date=2024-08-15 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Vodka historian<!--vodka historian comes from NPR: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/11151866?storyId=11151866?storyId=11151866--> Alexander Nikishin told the magazine [[Vice (magazine)|''Vice'']] that the ''boyaryshnik'' name was chosen for its similarity to legitimate products to obfuscate its intended purpose: {{quote|You can buy ''boyaryshnik'' in a pharmacy, a medicinal tincture. And then there is the ''boyaryshnik'' spirit, which they call medicinal, but really it's just alcohol with the taste of ''boyaryshnik''. It's bootlegging, pure and simple.<ref name="Vice">{{Cite news |last=Luhn |first=Alec |date=2016-12-22 |title=72 Russians have died this week from drinking bath oil because they couldn't afford real alcohol |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/72-russians-have-died-this-week-from-drinking-bath-oil-because-they-couldnt-afford-real-alcohol/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |language=en-US}}</ref>}} The ''boyaryshnik'' bottles carried clear warnings that they were not intended for consumption.<ref name="Washington Post">{{Cite news |last=Filipov |first=David |last2=Schmidt |first2=Samantha |date=2021-10-25 |title=Nearly 50 people dead from alcohol poisoning after drinking bath oil in Siberian city |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/12/19/33-people-dead-from-alcohol-poisoning-after-drinking-bath-lotion-in-siberian-city/ |access-date=2024-08-15 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |url-access=subscription}}</ref> However, many Russians knew that the product was meant to be a cheap vodka substitute and government authorities condoned its sale. "Everybody knew that it was not bath oil", one individual later told ''[[The New York Times]]''. "That label was just meant to fend off the inspectors".<ref name="NYT follow-up" /> The oil bottles were typically half the size of vodka, but their alcohol content was high so that individuals could dilute them to a similar [[alcohol by volume]].<ref name="NYT follow-up"/><ref name="NYT2"/> These sorts of surrogate alcohols were widely available in Russian supermarkets, shops, and vending machines. They were also not subject to any legal age requirement, the alcohol excise tax (levied as part of an anti-alcohol effort in 2009), or other restrictions introduced in recent years to curb alcohol consumption in the country.<ref name="NYT follow-up" /><ref name="Washington Post" /><ref name="NYT2">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/world/after-72-die-putin-tightens-limits-on-consumer-products-high-in-alcohol.html|title=After 72 Die, Putin Tightens Limits on Consumer Products High in Alcohol|first=Ivan|last=Nechepurenko|authorlink=Ivan Nechepurenko|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2016-12-22|access-date=2016-12-22|archive-date=25 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225014548/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/world/after-72-die-putin-tightens-limits-on-consumer-products-high-in-alcohol.html|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-alcohol-consumption-dives-33-since-2009-56904|title=Russian Alcohol Consumption Dives 33% From 2009|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2017-01-24|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=30 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230000910/https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-alcohol-consumption-dives-33-since-2009-56904|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="International Journal of Drug Policy">{{cite journal|title=Effectiveness of policy changes to reduce harm from unrecorded alcohol in Russia between 2005 and now| journal=[[International Journal of Drug Policy]]| first1=Maria |last1=Neufelda |first2=Jürgen |last2=Rehm| date=January 2018 | volume=51 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.09.006| pmid=29031132}}</ref> The vending machines were particularly problematic: they were often deliberately placed near impoverished areas of Russian cities to appeal to those seeking a cheap alternative to legal alcohol at any hour of the day or night.<ref name="Moscow Times pharmacy-alcohol">{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/report-russias-illegal-pharmacy-alcohol-industry-growing-56313|title=Reports Show Russia's Illegal 'Pharmacy-Alcohol' Industry Is Booming|last=Kupfer|first=Matthew|newspaper=[[The Moscow Times]]|date=2016-11-25|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=2 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602170127/https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/report-russias-illegal-pharmacy-alcohol-industry-growing-56313|url-status=live}}</ref> They were also highly profitable.<ref name="DW"/> == Event == The fatal batch of bath oil involved in the December 2016 mass poisoning was fraudulently made with [[methanol]],{{efn-ua|Also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, and having the chemical formula CH₃OH.}} which is [[methanol toxicity|poisonous]] and can cause [[central nervous system depression]].<ref name="NYT follow-up" /> It was then bottled with the bath oil's typical labels, which indicated to potential buyers that they contained the usual [[ethanol]],{{efn-ua|Also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, and having the chemical formula CH₃CH₂OH.}} the alcohol found in vodka and other alcoholic drinks.<ref name="AP" /><ref name="NYT">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/world/europe/russia-bath-lotion-deaths.html|title=In Russia, Dozens Die After Drinking Alcohol Substitute|last=Nechepurenko|first=Ivan|date=2016-12-19|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=2016-12-19|archive-date=19 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219211414/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/world/europe/russia-bath-lotion-deaths.html|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="CBS News">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/irkutsk-russia-bath-lotion-alcohol-poisoning-state-of-emergency-dozens-dead/|title=State of emergency declared in Russia as 49 die in bath lotion drinking case|date=2016-12-19|work=[[CBS News]]|agency=Associated Press|access-date=2016-12-19|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220111629/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/irkutsk-russia-bath-lotion-alcohol-poisoning-state-of-emergency-dozens-dead/|url-status=live}}</ref> Methanol is cheaper than ethanol, and the two cannot readily be distinguished.<ref name="NYT" /> Even amounts as small as {{convert|30|-|240|ml}} can be fatal.<ref name="Human Toxicology">{{cite book |last=Jacobsen |first=D. |title=Alcohols and glycols |date=1996 |work=Human Toxicology |pages=623–648 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/methanol-poisoning |access-date=2024-08-16 |publisher=Elsevier |language=en |doi=10.1016/b978-044481557-6/50026-5 |isbn=978-0-444-81557-6 |last2=McMartin |first2=K.E.}}</ref>{{efn-ua|According to ''Human Toxicology'', the variation in lethal amounts is liekly because "the contamination of the consumed liquid with ethanol or later ethanol consumption, as ethanol has a protective effect. Other explanations include notoriously poor histories reported in some of these cases and the differing folate status of patients.<ref name="Human Toxicology"/>}} The human body breaks down methanol into [[formaldehyde]] and [[formic acid]], both of which act as nerve toxins and damage the [[optic nerve]].<ref name="NYT follow-up"/><ref name="DW"/> Irkutsk victims found themselves going blind before being unable to move and finally lapsing into a [[coma]]. For some, the latter two happened before they were able to call for emergency assistance.<ref name="DW"/> The Irkutsk methanol poisoning's first hospitalizations began on 17 December,<ref name="International Journal of Drug Policy"/> and early press reports emerged on 19 December.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Продавцы убившего 26 человек в Иркутске "Боярышника" задержаны |url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-38363926 |date=2016-12-19 |access-date=2024-08-15 |work=BBC News Русская служба |language=ru}}</ref> By that evening<!--in Russia, using the timestamp on the AP article-->, a total of 57 people were hospitalized and 49 were dead.<ref name="AP"/><ref name="NYT"/> Local government authorities resorted to going house to house to ensure they found everyone who had been poisoned.<ref name="AP" /> The victims were described as being poor residents of the Novo-Lenino neighborhood in Irkutsk, primarily ranging in age between 35 and 50.<ref name="CBS News"/><ref name="MTpoison">{{cite news|title=Dozens Dead in Siberia from Counterfeit Alcohol Poisoning|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/news/26-dead-in-irkutsk-from-alcohol-poisoning-56573|access-date=2016-12-21|work=The Moscow Times|date=2016-12-19|archive-date=27 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227053200/https://themoscowtimes.com/news/26-dead-in-irkutsk-from-alcohol-poisoning-56573|url-status=live}}</ref> As days went by, subsequent reports increased the number of impacted people: first to 55 deaths (with a total of 94 affected),<ref>{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/news/death-toll-from-alcohol-poisoning-in-irkutsk-rises-56590|title=Death Toll From Siberian Alcohol Poisoning Rises to 55|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2016-12-20|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220181016/https://themoscowtimes.com/news/death-toll-from-alcohol-poisoning-in-irkutsk-rises-56590|url-status=live}}</ref> then 62 (with 107 affected),<ref name="Guardian clampdown">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/21/vladimir-putin-clampdown-surrogate-alcohol-deaths-fake-bath-tincture-irkutsk |title=Vladimir Putin orders clampdown on 'surrogate' alcohol as deaths rise |last=Walker |first=Shaun |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=2016-12-21 |access-date=2016-12-21 |archive-date=10 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010125441/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/21/vladimir-putin-clampdown-surrogate-alcohol-deaths-fake-bath-tincture-irkutsk |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38395013 |title=Russia bath lotion poisoning: Putin orders crackdown as death toll rises |work=BBC News |date=2016-12-21 |access-date=2016-12-21 |archive-date=7 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107081754/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38395013 |url-status=live }}</ref> 77 (number of affected not given),<ref name="Reuters follow-up">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/world/russia-opens-criminal-case-into-official-after-77-die-of-alcohol-poisoning-idUSKBN14G103/|title=Russia opens criminal case into official after 77 die of alcohol poisoning|work=[[Reuters]]|first=Peter |last=Hobson|editor-first=Andrew|editor-last=Roche|date=2016-12-27|access-date=2016-12-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719013000/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-russia-alcohol-poisoning-idUKKBN14G119|archive-date=2017-07-19|url-status=live}}</ref> and 78.<ref name="International Journal of Drug Policy"/> A subsequent medical investigation established that 74 people died due to methanol poisoning. Several passed away in January 2017, while four previously attributed to methanol were actually caused by drinking too much non-fraudulent ethanol-based bath oil. Including the deaths, a total of 123 people were hospitalized.<ref name="International Journal of Drug Policy"/> "Poisonings caused by cheap surrogate alcohol are a regular occurrence," a reporter for the [[Associated Press]] news agency wrote, "but the Irkutsk case was unprecedented in its scale."<ref name="AP" /> The deaths included teachers, nurses, and drivers; ''The New York Times'' described the majority as holding "steady if low-paying jobs".<ref name="NYT follow-up"/> The Russian newspaper ''[[Komsomolskaya Pravda]]'' briefly profiled one victim, a 34-year-old mother who bought the bath oil to share over dinner with her husband. She consumed two shots, which was enough to kill her.<ref name="DW"/> Treating the victims was made more difficult because [[fomepizole]], a methanol [[antidote]], is not certified for use in Russia and is not available in the country's hospitals. However, some victims survived because they had been drinking other ethanol-based alcohol at the same time as the methanol-laced product, which counteracted the latter.<ref name="NYT follow-up"/> ==Aftermath== Irkutsk's mayor Dmitry Berdnikov declared a [[state of emergency in Russia|state of emergency]] on 19 December.<ref name="Guardian" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-12-19 |title=Dozens Dead In Siberia After Drinking Body Lotion; Seven Arrested |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/siberia-alcohol-poisoning-body-lotion/28184206.html |access-date=2024-08-15 |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |language=en}}</ref> By the next day, the Russian government seized about {{convert|2000|L|gal|sp=us}} of illegal alcohol and {{convert|500|L|gal|sp=us}} of remaining fraudulent bath oil from around 100 retailers in the Irkutsk area.<ref name="AP"/><ref name="BBC Matvienko">{{Cite news |title=Продавцы убившего 26 человек в Иркутске "Боярышника" задержаны |url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-38363926 |date=2016-12-20 |access-date=2024-08-15 |work=BBC News Русская служба |language=ru}}</ref> On the 22nd, an Interior Ministry spokesperson told the state-owned [[TASS]] news agency that Russian police had uncovered an underground facility where the bath oil had been produced and seized over 10,000 small bottles of it.<ref name="AP"/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Some 10,000 bottles of poisonous bath lotion seized in Siberia's Irkutsk |date=2016-12-22 |url=https://tass.com/society/921612 |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=TASS}}</ref> A later government investigation showed that the methanol was usually used in the local production of [[windshield washer fluid]], known locally as antifreeze.<ref name="International Journal of Drug Policy"/><ref>{{Cite news|title=В Иркутске нашли 13,5 тысяч литров "незамерзайки" с метанолом|language=ru|work=BBC News Русская служба|url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-38441739|access-date=2021-02-23|archive-date=29 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229142847/http://www.bbc.com/russian/news-38441739|url-status=live}}</ref> Twenty-three people involved in the production of the oil were quickly detained by Russian authorities, including local vendors who sold the product, police officers, and a senior regional government official for the greater Siberian region.<ref name="Reuters follow-up"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/news/suspected-surrogate-alcohol-supplier-arrested-in-irkutsk-56627|title=Suspected Surrogate Alcohol Supplier Arrested in Irkutsk|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2016-12-23|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=15 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715055329/https://themoscowtimes.com/news/suspected-surrogate-alcohol-supplier-arrested-in-irkutsk-56627|url-status=live}}</ref> A further five people were arrested in January 2017 and charged with selling and publicizing surrogate alcohol.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/news/counterfeit-alcohol-makers-arrested-in-siberia-56986|title=Counterfeit Alcohol Producers Arrested in Siberia|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2017-01-31|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=4 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004130248/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2017/01/31/counterfeit-alcohol-makers-arrested-in-siberia-a56986|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2020, the last of 19 individuals jailed or fined for distributing the fraudulent alcohol was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-02-28 |title=Supplier Of Deadly Bath Lotion In Siberia Jailed |language=en |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/supplier-of-deadly-bath-lotion-in-siberia-jailed/30460396.html |access-date=2023-03-09 |archive-date=9 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309045814/https://www.rferl.org/a/supplier-of-deadly-bath-lotion-in-siberia-jailed/30460396.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After the incident, a spokesperson for [[Russian president]] [[Vladimir Putin]] called it a "terrible tragedy".<ref name="AP"/> They blamed it on a failing of "supervisory bodies".<ref name="NYT follow-up"/> [[Prime Minister of Russia|Prime Minister]] [[Dmitry Medvedev]] called for a ban on non-traditional alcoholic liquids like bath oils, saying "it's an outrage, and we need to put an end to this".<ref name="AP"/> [[Chairman of the Federation Council (Russia)|Chairman of the Federation Council]] [[Valentina Matviyenko]] publicly supported additional regulations on alcohol-containing liquids,<ref name="BBC Matvienko"/> and Deputy Prime Minister [[Alexander Khloponin]] proposed doing so by requiring pharmaceutical [[Medical prescription|prescription]]s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/news/alcohol-based-medicines-to-need-prescriptions-after-siberian-poisoning-tragedy-56619|title=Alcohol-Based Medicines to Need Prescriptions After Siberian Poisoning Tragedy|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2016-12-22|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=22 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222142444/https://themoscowtimes.com/news/alcohol-based-medicines-to-need-prescriptions-after-siberian-poisoning-tragedy-56619|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Alexei Navalny]], an opposition politician, opined that "''boyaryshnik'' is killing more people than terrorist acts did in the whole history of Russia" each year.<ref name="Guardian"/> Putin announced on 22 December that he supported tightening regulations on products with more than 25 percent alcohol, increasing punishments for anyone who broke alcohol manufacturing and distribution laws, and reducing the alcohol excise tax to undercut the monetary reason for buying surrogate alcohols.<ref name="NYT2"/><ref name="NPR">{{cite news| first=Bill |last=Chappell |date=2016-12-21 |title=More Than 60 Russians Die From Drinking Bath Lotion; Putin Moves To Cut Booze Tax |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/21/506440314/more-than-60-russians-die-from-drinking-bath-lotion-putin-moves-to-cut-booze-tax |work=NPR |access-date=2024-08-15}}</ref><ref name="Guardian clampdown"/> He also called for ending alcohol tax carveouts that specifically benefited the pharmaceutical and cosmetics business sectors. "In practice we see what such indulgences lead to: dozens of people dying like flies," Putin said.<ref name="Vice"/> On 23 December, Medvedev ordered Rospotrebnadzor, the federal consumer rights protection agency, to ban all sales of non-food items with more than 25 percent alcohol. Their 30-day order went into effect on 26 December and was scheduled to run for one month. However, it was extended for an additional 60 days in January, and again March and July. The restrictions did not cover perfumes and glass-cleaning products.<ref name="International Journal of Drug Policy"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/news/sales-of-non-food-products-containing-alcohol-suspended-56643|title=Russia Suspends Sale of Non-Food Products Containing Alcohol|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2016-12-26|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=11 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711234836/https://themoscowtimes.com/news/sales-of-non-food-products-containing-alcohol-suspended-56643|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russia-extends-alcohol-product-restrictions-by-2-months-56917|title=Russia Extends Restrictions on Sale of Alcohol Products After Mass Poisoning|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2017-01-25|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=2 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002141527/https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russia-extends-alcohol-product-restrictions-by-2-months-56917|url-status=live}}</ref> Further restrictions were considered, with one top health official announcing that a [[state monopoly]] could be imposed on Russia's perfume and pharmaceutical industries.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-government-mulls-alcohol-monopoly-on-perfume-and-pharmaceuticals-57133|title=Russian Government Mulls Alcohol Monopoly on Perfume and Pharmaceuticals|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2017-02-13|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=2 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002102247/https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-government-mulls-alcohol-monopoly-on-perfume-and-pharmaceuticals-57133|url-status=live}}</ref> Instead, Russia amended its legal code to strengthen punishments for illegally producing and selling alcohol, banning the kind of alcoholic vending machines through which the Irkutsk bath oil was sold, and prohibiting online advertisements of alcoholic retailers. The latter's legalization had been mooted prior to the poisoning. Furthermore, in May 2017 the minimum legal price of vodka was lowered to 205 [[ruble]]s per half liter (equivalent to about one pint).<ref name="International Journal of Drug Policy" /> Individuals interviewed by a ''New York Times'' reporter in February 2017 were skeptical that any measures would be successful in significantly impacting illegal alcohol sales, given that it was such a high percentage of the total market for alcohol.<ref name="NYT follow-up"/> Indeed, vendors in Irkutsk reported that sales of surrogate alcohols did not decline after the poisoning,<ref name="International Journal of Drug Policy"/> and 2018 surveys conducted in [[Udmurtia]] in western Russia showed that unregulated medicinal alcohol was still widely available.<ref name="Non-Beverage Alcohol Consumption In Izhevsk">{{Cite journal |last1=Korotayev |first1=Andrey |last2=Khaltourina |first2=Daria |last3=Shishkina |first3=Alisa |last4=Issaev |first4=Leonid |date=2021-06-29 |title=Non-Beverage Alcohol Consumption In Izhevsk: 15 Years Later |url=https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/56/4/470/5974942 |journal=Alcohol and Alcoholism |language=en |volume=56 |issue=4 |pages=470–474 |doi=10.1093/alcalc/agaa116 |pmid=33188389 |issn=0735-0414 |access-date=7 June 2022 |archive-date=13 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313132130/https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/56/4/470/5974942 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nevertheless, Rospotrebnadzor announced at the end of January 2017 that the country had seen its first decline in monthly alcohol poisoning deaths in five years,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russia-sees-sharp-decline-in-alcohol-poisoning-in-january-56977|title=Russia Sees Sharp Decline in Alcohol Poisoning in January|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2017-01-30|access-date=2017-03-05|archive-date=4 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004130305/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2017/01/30/russia-sees-sharp-decline-in-alcohol-poisoning-in-january-a56977|url-status=live}}</ref> and one study linked the new regulations to a sharp drop in deaths and an increase in life expectancy between 2016 and 2017 among Russia's population of working-age men.<ref name="Non-Beverage Alcohol Consumption In Izhevsk"/> == See also == * [[List of methanol poisoning incidents]] == Notes == {{notelist-ua}} == References == {{reflist|30em}} == Further reading == *{{Cite journal |last1=Lachenmeier |first1=Dirk W. |last2=Neufeld |first2=Maria |last3=Rehm |first3=Jürgen |date=2021-02-15 |title=The Impact of Unrecorded Alcohol Use on Health: What Do We Know in 2020? |url=https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsad.2021.82.28 |journal=Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs |volume=82 |issue=1 |pages=28–41 |language=EN |doi=10.15288/jsad.2021.82.28|pmid=33573720 |s2cid=231901412 }} == External links == *[https://khodorkovsky.com/drowning-ones-sorrows/ Drowning one's sorrows] by [[Mikhail Khodorkovsky]] [[Category:2016 disasters in Russia]] [[Category:2016 health disasters]] [[Category:2016 scandals]] [[Category:Alcohol in Russia]] [[Category:December 2016 events in Russia]] [[Category:Health disasters in Russia]] [[Category:History of Irkutsk|Mass methanol poisoning]] [[Category:Methanol poisoning incidents]]'