Melbourne: Vodka sold cheap with 10 times legal limit of methanol, plastic contaminants
‘Our results are concerning because it shows these products, with the outward appearance of a legal product, are being sold to unsuspecting customers.’
Bottles of vodka with more than 10 times the legal limit of methanol are being sold at Melbourne bottle shops, providing serious risks to consumers.
Chemical testing showed counterfeit bottles contained methanol and plastic contaminants and were often sold at a cheaper price than competitor products, a UNSW Sydney and Curtin University study found.
The bottles were being sold in one in three bottle shops, the Herald Sun reported.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Our results are concerning because it shows these products, with the outward appearance of a legal product, are being sold to unsuspecting customers,” lead author Michala Kowalski said.
“Ingestion of methanol at sufficient levels can be toxic and lead to symptoms ranging from vomiting and abdominal pain to blindness, coma and death.”
Dr Kowalski said the contaminated bottles could be difficult for buyers to identify and were not only being sold in bottle shops but also licensed venues like pubs and nightclubs.
As part of the study, researchers visited four licensed bottle shops in high socio-economic areas of Melbourne.
They purchased three suspected illicit vodka products – all of which were found to be the cheapest form of vodka by alcohol content and “had the appearance of poor-quality labelling and packaging”.
One product did not have a resealable cap and another had the price written in pen on plain paper and contained “visible brown flakes”.
“No one wants to see plastic in their vodka. No one likes to think that they’re ingesting plastic,” Dr Kowalski told the Herald Sun.
“Ingestion of plasticisers at sufficient levels may also potentially cause negative long-term effects on the liver, kidneys and reproductive system.”
The Australian Taxation Office estimates the illicit alcohol market to be worth at least $767m annually – the equivalent of 14 million standard bottles of vodka or more than 10 per cent of all spirits legally consumed in Australia.
The research comes as Melbourne venues are being terrorised by a spate of fire-bombings and drive-by shootings, believed to be linked to illicit alcohol.
Victoria Police recently launched Operation Eclipse, aiming to target organised crime syndicates believed to be involved in the attacks linked to hospitality venues.
Originally published as Toxic vodka with plastic and high levels of methanol sold in Melbourne shops
