Fake and smuggled alcohol will flood the markets asTet approaches. The production of fake liquor has posed many health risks for customers.
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| The north-eastern Quang Ninh Province\'s Customs Department destroys 960 bottles of liquor smuggled into Vietnam for Tet. — VNA/VNS Photo Manh Tu |
On January 16, Ho Chi Minh City\'s District 6 police seized 336 smuggled liquor bottles worth VND600 million (USD31,000). Earlier this month, they seized over 300 unclaimed bottles in the district\'s Ward 10.
On January 5, central Nghe An Province\'s police found 3,000 other bottles of unknown origin in Vinh City, all labelled as known brands, including X.O. and R.M. On January10, the Hanoi police uncovered more than 2,500 fake bottles, each 330ml, at Zuso International Joint Stocks Company based in Chuong My District\'s Ngoc Son Industrial Zone.
The company director, Trinh Van Truong, admitted to the police that he and his accomplices started making fake alcohol last November. In the daytime, the company produced standard liquor, but at night, they made fake mixes, averaging 1,000 bottles per night.
The Health Ministry\'s statistics showed that only 10 per cent of 20,000 alcohol producers nation-wide reported their product quality. Most cases of alcohol poisoning were caused by substandard products.
Bach Mai Hospital\'s Poison Control Centre Director Pham Due said that home-made alcohol could be poisonous if it contains ethyl acetate or furfurol. Products have been reported to contain anywhere from three to 80 times more of these substances than permitted.
The centre recently treated a 35-year-old patient who fell unconscious for four days after drinking 750ml of white wine. The number of cases of alcohol poisoning typically increase during holidays and around Tet and most patients are found to have poisonous methanol in their systems.
The centre received many patients during Tet, most of whom suffered from dizziness, lack of co-ordination and nausea, Due said.
People face different risks depending on the alcohol they drink. Due said that people who drank medical wine, which has herbs or animal parts soaked in wine, were at high risk for poisoning.
The quality of imported herbs is not properly controlled. For example, herbs are often processed by unhygienic means along the side of the road at Hanoi\'s herb wholesale market in Ninh Hiep Commune, Gia Lam District in Hanoi.
Deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health, Nguyen Minh Tuan, said that after drinking, many people abuse medicine to avoid getting too drunk. But these medicines have yet to be proven safe, and sometimes put more pressure on the liver to process alcohol.
Doctor Due advised that people should not drink more than 50ml of strong alcohol or 700ml of beer a day.
The National Road Safety Committee reported 397 traffic accidents during last year\'s five-day Tet holiday, with 287 killed and 427 injured. Seventy per cent of the accidents were caused by drunk drivers.
