Durban youth warned of new poisonous popular drink
Durban youth are being warned of the dangers of a new poisonous drink that is gaining popularity.
There have been reports of young Durbanites drinking a cocktail containing methylated spirits mixed with tea and brown sugar.
Greenwood Park police's Leon Audh says they have so far dealt with three cases involving high school pupils after their parents became worried.
Senior Information Officer at the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Claire Savage says ingesting methylated spirits can lead to accelerated organ damage, with the risk higher among young people.
"There is a very toxic, poisonous effect. However as an alcohol what it will do is to have a sedative effect on the individual consuming it," she said.
"The effect could be quite potent because it is unlike drinking normal beer, for example, where you just get 6% alcohol volume," Savage said.
Other experts say ingesting the industrial spirit, also known as denatured alcohol, can also cause blindness and lead to death.