Doctors discuss the condition of a patient with alcohol poisoning at the Duc Giang General Hospital in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of the hospital
Test results on alcohol samples at a conference party in Hanoi’s Long Bien District last week revealed they contained acetonitrile, which killed two people and sent 20 to hospital.
The Hanoi Food Safety Administration on Tuesday said that among the six alcohol samples collected from the party on Dec. 19, four of them had methanol levels above standards and the presence of acetonitrile. The samples were collected from alcohol brought to the party by participants.
Samples collected from patients revealed the presence of acetonitrile and cyanide, the administration said, adding that the cause of the poisoning was due to the acetonitrile inside the alcohol brought by the NBC Pacific company.
The firm organized the party where participants ate several types of food and beverages. A driver at the company brought 22 liters of homemade white liquor to the party, and participants consumed eight liters. Certain people began to display symptoms like dizziness and nausea later that night. Two people died within 24 hours after the party ended.
As of Tuesday morning, 20 people related to the party have been hospitalized. Two patients at Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi have been discharged.
Acetonitrile is an organic chemical that is not part of the alcohol-making process. Once it enters the body, the chemical can be metabolized into cyanide, a toxin that can lead to death.
It has not been confirmed why the substance appeared among the alcohol brought to the party.
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