Homebrew laced with acid kills 51 Kenyans

[emad]

By Mike Pflanz in Nairobi
(Filed: 29/06/2005)

Kenyan police cracked down on illegal shebeens yesterday after 51 drinkers died and a dozen were blinded by homebrew laced with battery acid and methanol.

Last night, 180 mostly male drinkers were in hospitals in Machakos and Nairobi and the death toll could rise, said medical officials.

The brew was sold at a drinks stall in Machakos town slums, 40 miles south-east of Nairobi. Residents wrecked stores of homebrew as the deaths mounted on Sunday, forcing traders to flee.

President Mwai Kibaki ordered an inquiry into the illicit alcohol trade yesterday, authorising police to storm property suspected of being used as illegal breweries.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/06/29/wbrew29.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/06/29/ixworld.html

[Kraklen]

1. Sounds like it was the methanol.

Somebody finds a bottle labelled "alcohol" they have party and a bunch of people go blind and die.

happens to groups of teenagers fairly regularly.

[sui generis]

2. wrong kind of acid

yeah that methanol will do it every time. Get rid of the woody pieces and stems and hey hey hey, basic distillery for fun and pleasure:

Acetone 56.5C (134F)
Methanol (wood alcohol) 64C (147F)
Ethyl acetate 77.1C (171F)
Ethanol 78C (172F)
2-Propanol (rubbing alcohol) 82C (180F)
1-Propanol 97C (207F)
Water 100C (212F)
Butanol 116C (241F)
Amyl alcohol 137.8C (280F)
Furfural 161C (322F)

Yeehaw, sometimes storebought really IS better.