Dozens of people died of alcohol poisoning in the Russian city of Irkutsk after consuming a bath lotion.
By about 7:00 a.m. Eastern time on Monday, the BBC reports 41 people have died. Several people suspected of being involved in selling the lotion have been arrested, and 15 people are still in the hospital.
As Russia's economy struggles, many are turning to cheap but dangerous ways to get their alcohol fix. Drinking lotion is not unusual, but the high death toll is.
It's an outrage, and we need to put an end to this.
The bath lotion contained methanol, a toxin found in antifreeze, the BBC reports. The lotion had was labelled as not being fit for human consumption.
The alcohol is metabolized in the body to form formaldehyde and other poisons that can result in blindness, coma, and death. The drinkers were between 35 and 50, and were not drinking together.
"medicines & perfumes account for up to 20% of the alcohol drunk in the country"
— John Schindler (@20committee) December 19, 2016
HT @Tio_Stephen https://t.co/5rOWiYEwms
Medicine and perfumes account for a fifth of all alcohol drunk in Russia, the BBC reports.
In #Irkutsk, #Russia, 41 people died & 57 were hospitalised after consuming alcohol-containing bath lotion:https://t.co/817fNaC5Ju pic.twitter.com/YrNLZL3lnP
— Alex Kokcharov (@AlexKokcharov) December 19, 2016
Here's a look at the lotion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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