Tamil Nadu Hooch Tragedy

At least 34 people have died and around 100 others are hospitalized after consuming spurious/illicit liquor (commonly referred to as "hooch").

Location: Kallakurichi district in Tamil Nadu

Timeline: The incident occurred recently, causing a major public health crisis in the region.

Causes: The deaths were caused by the consumption of illegally produced or adulterated alcohol, which can contain toxic substances.

Impact: The tragedy has devastated the affected families and communities. It has also highlighted the need for stronger regulation and enforcement to prevent the sale and consumption of dangerous illicit liquor.

Government Response: The Tamil Nadu government has initiated an investigation into the incident and promised strict action against those responsible. Relief measures and medical assistance are being provided to the affected individuals and families.

About Hooch

• Hooch is a commonly used term for poor quality alcohol, derived from Hoochinoo, a native
• Alaskan tribe that was known to produce very strong liquor.
• Unlike branded liquor which is produced in factories with sophisticated equipment and
• rigorous quality control, hooch is made in more crude settings (in many cases homemade) without any quality checks.

Process

• Like all alcohol, hooch is produced using two basic processes: fermentation and distillation.
•  Hooch is produced using distillation of a fermented mixture, generally of locally available yeast, and sugar or fruit (often fruit waste).
• The fermented mixture which is to be distilled contains more than just consumable alcohol (ethanol).
•  It also contains methanol (CH3OH), a different form of alcohol which is highly toxic for human beings.
• During the distillation, both ethanol (boiling point of 78.37 °C) and methanol (boiling point of 64.7 °C) are concentrated.
• Thus, if done incorrectly, distillation can lead to an end product which contains high quantities of toxic methanol.

Regulation of Methanol in India

methanol is tightly regulated in India as a hazardous chemical, with specific limits on its permissible quantities in alcoholic beverages and standards for its quality testing and packaging requirements. The key regulations and standards that apply are outlined below.

Regulations:

• Schedule I of the Manufacture, Storage & Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules 1989 includes methanol as a hazardous chemical.
• The Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations 2018 stipulate the maximum permissible quantity of methanol in different types of alcoholic beverages:
  • Coconut fenny: Absent
  • Country liquor: 50 grams per 100 litres
  • Other liquors: Varying limits specified

Standards:

• The Indian Standard (IS 517) applies to how the quality of methanol is to be ascertained.
• The Tamil Nadu Denatured Spirit, Methyl Alcohol, and Varnish (French Polish) Rules 1959 regulate the signage and packaging requirements for methanol.

How Can Methanol Poisoning Be Treated?
Methanol takes time to be eliminated from the body after consumption. There are two immediate treatments for methanol intoxication.
Healthcare staff can administer pharmaceutical-grade ethanol to patients. Ethanol and methanol compete for the ADH enzymes. As a result, methanol is not metabolised into formaldehyde. Another alternative is to administer fomepizole, an antidote that reduces the function of ADH enzymes. This causes the body to manufacture formaldehyde at a slower pace and remove it fast, preventing the harmful effects from occurring.