Death Due to Methanol Poisoning in Muğla: Case Series

Abstract

Objective:Methanol poisoning is very dangerous due to its high mortality rate and serious sequelae. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cases whose autopsy was performed in the Mugla Branch Directorate of Forensic Medicine and the cause of death was determined as methanol poisoning, and to raise awareness about this type of poisoning, which is on the rise in our region.Methods:A total of 3.498 autopsies were performed in the Mugla Branch Directorate of Forensic Medicine in an 8-year-period between 2013 and 2020, and the cause of death in 21 of them was determined as methyl alcohol intoxication.Results:The average fatality rate due to methyl alcohol intoxication is 6.0 per thousand. Sixteen (76.2%) of the 21 deaths due to methyl alcohol intoxication occurred in 2020.Conclusion:The increase in methanol poisoning cases may be associated with economic problems, people gravitating towards buying cheap alcohol, lockdowns and places that sell alcohol being closed, people trying to produce their own alcohol, shopping via the internet, and unsafe shopping.

Keywords

• methanol
• intoxication
• autopsy
• forensic medicine