Now, the tragic death of 28-year-old lawyer Simone White from Orpington lays bare a key problem. Her story illustrates the often tragic dangers of methanol poisoning across Southeast Asia. White, who tragically passed in 2024 after drinking tainted moonshine at a backpacker hostel in Laos. This event resulted in five other victims who had taken free shots at the same establishment. In response, her family is now pushing to require methanol poisoning education in schools.
Methanol is a “extremely virulent poison,” said toxicologist Prof Alistair Hay. It is extremely harmful, particularly when present in illicitly produced alcohol. Its gradual nature makes the trend hard to spot, putting nonviolent travelers’ safety at risk. Given these risks, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has released a number of warnings for tourists to Laos. They don’t suggest purchasing drinks only from officially sanctioned bars, hotels, and liquor stores. Watch out for poor-quality printing and spelling/grammar errors on labels.
The new campaign started by White’s family is focused on protecting other consumers from the dangers of ingesting methanol. Family advocate Amanda Dennis said even as the fight continues for changes, they want to honor Simone’s memory by educating others.
“By doing that and raising awareness, hopefully we can save other young people’s lives so families don’t have to go through what we’ve all gone through.” – Amanda Dennis
The Foreign Office’s travel warnings serve an important function of reminding travelers to stay aware and cautious when venturing to unfamiliar terrain. According to Jim Dickson, an advocate for travel safety, “young people need to be encouraged to explore… other countries, but they need the information to keep themselves safe.”
Simone White’s premature death has ignited a much-needed discussion on alcohol. We need to have an honest conversation about the very real risks associated with the use of these unregulated products. The successful National Safe and Responsible Pad Initiative campaign raised awareness among schools of the dangers of methanol poisoning. This is a major milestone toward ensuring similar tragedies never happen again.
