• archaicpixels@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    3 days ago

    Improperly managed distillation process. Methanol comes off at a lower temp and they apparently didn’t correctly separate it from the alcohol.

    • SillyDude@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      3 days ago

      You’d have to run industrial scale distilling to get enough methanol off sugar fermentation to be dangerous.

      Locals told the AP they suspected a popular herbal drink with high alcohol content, known as “Monkey Tail,” was mixed with methanol, causing the deaths.

      A trader who sells the concoction in Odigbo, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of being arrested, told the AP there are two versions of Monkey Tail: an original, safe version, and another version which is unsafe.

    • bigboismith@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      3 days ago

      I’ve understood that’s a myth. In a solution of both methanol and ethanol, both their boiling points changes based on their respective concentrations, hence it’s really hard to separate the two. Most brews however contain a very small amount of methanol, and as long as the ethanol content in a couple of magnitudes higher, the methanol is safe to consume