Experts warn of teens drinking racing fuel to get drunk
Health officials are warning about the dangers of a potentially deadly homemade concoction of racing fuel and soft drinks some teens are consuming to get drunk.
In a report released today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention documents the deaths of two Tennessee adolescents who ingested the mixture at a party. Two other teens who drank it became intoxicated but survived. According the Tennessee Poison Center, which first investigated the deaths in January, the teens mixed methanol with Mountain Dew to make a lethal concoction known as Dewshine.
Racing fuel contains virtually 100 percent methanol, an organic solvent commonly found in laboratory, industrial, automotive, and residential products. As little as 1 tablespoon of methanol can be fatal.
Police reported that the teens obtained a half gallon of racing fuel and mixed an unknown amount into a two liter bottle of soda. The two survivors reported drinking two ounces of the mixture. It is unknown how much the two teens who died consumed.
Both of the deceased were 16-year-old boys. The first was found dead at home approximately 11 hours after ingesting the mixture. The second experienced seizures at home about 12 hours after drinking it and was transported to a local emergency department. He died five days later.
These are the first reported deaths in the U.S. associated with drinking this racing fuel mixture.
Drinking the concoction can trigger nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, seizures, coma and death, depending on how much methanol is consumed, experts say. Methanol can also damage the retina and lead to permanent blindness.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers' Toxic Exposure Surveillance System reports 7,183 cases of methanol exposure for the period between 2011 and 2014. Of these exposures, 660 (about 9 percent) were intentional. Thirty-three people died as a result.
The CDC is urging parents, educators, community leaders, medical personnel and public health officials to reinforce the message that methanol is a highly toxic substance that can cause serious illness and death.
