Alcoholic cider: circulation of pure methanol is planned to be banned
The production and sale of methanol in its pure form, i.e. without changing its color, smell or taste, is planned to be banned. Such draft amendments introduced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade have been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. One of the most famous mass deaths of Russians from poisoning by technical alcohol occurred in the summer of 2023 - from counterfeit drink "Mr. Cider" killed 50 people: in its production used methanol, stolen from the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Samara region. It is up to the Ministry of Industry and Trade to determine exactly how the methanol will be denatured. On what other changes await the market of technical alcohol, - in the material "Izvestia".
How to limit the turnover of methanol
Turnover of technical alcohol and liquids containing this substance will be able to be carried out only if a number of its properties - color, odor or taste - are changed. Such amendments of the Cabinet of Ministers to the bill "On state regulation of turnover of methanol and methanol-containing liquids" were made by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. On Monday, February 24, the amendments were approved by the Government Commission on Legislative Activity (the document is at Izvestia's disposal), according to the editorial board's sources in the Cabinet.
The bill was submitted to the State Duma in April 2024 and passed in the first reading in June 2024. It was developed to protect the health, rights and legitimate interests of citizens and to ensure the safety of methanol production and trafficking, said Vladimir Gruzdev, chairman of the board of the Russian Lawyers Association (RLA).
- Methanol is a potent toxic substance, a poison dangerous to humans. Due to the similarity in color, consistency and odor of methanol and ethyl alcohol there is a risk of poisoning by methanol or methanol-containing liquids of citizens who have access to these products, which has already happened many times in recent years, - he reminded.
Now, according to Vladimir Gruzdev, there is no single comprehensive regulation of the turnover of technical alcohol.
- This unsystematic approach creates uncontrolled turnover not only in the market, but also among ordinary citizens, - said the expert.
According to the explanatory note, Russia is the fourth largest producer of methanol, accounting for about 5% of global production. More than 4.6 million tons are produced per year, 40-60% of which are export-oriented. Currently, production capacity is represented by nine companies. The Ministry of Industry and Trade estimates that by 2030 there will be 23 companies.
According to Artem Kiryanov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, the amendments also clarify the rules of keeping the register of organizations and individual entrepreneurs who carry out the turnover of methanol and methanol-containing liquids.
- In addition, the amendments still plan to specify the types of supervision. Two federal executive bodies will be engaged in this supervision, they are Rospotrebnadzor and Rostransnadzor, " he said.
Methanol is an important chemical product, a raw material for various industries: from rubber, adhesives, fuel, pharmaceuticals to gas production, the Ministry of Industry and Trade told Izvestia.
- Therefore, it is important that the denaturing additive does not lead to changes in the physical and chemical properties of methanol, which can affect the technological process and the quality of the final product," they said. - In order to work out the issue, a working group was formed with the participation of scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences, the main producers and processors of methanol.
The department added that now the terms of reference for research work on methanol denaturation have been defined, the result of which should be the definition of a denaturing additive that has a minimal impact on the properties of methanol. In addition, it is necessary to define a list of technological processes where the use of denaturing additives is impossible.
Mass poisoning
If the amendments are adopted, methanol turnover will be carried out only under the condition of mandatory denaturation. That is, when there is a change in color, taste or smell, said the chairman of the board of the UBA. However, how these substances will be denatured is still unknown, the deputy emphasized.
- Research and development work, which is being prepared by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, must be completed, - said Artem Kiryanov. - Methanol will be labeled by color or smell, but it is still unclear what exactly, these issues are being discussed. The products should be denatured in the way the government determines.
According to the Russian Ministry of Health, in 2020, 1,268 people were poisoned by methanol, in 2021 - 1,360 people. In 2022, the number of fatal methanol poisonings amounted to 800 people, which is 9% of all poisonings with alcohol-containing products.
One of the most recent high-profile cases was the death of 50 people in June 2023 from drinking Mr. Cider. The liquid contained methanol. The dangerous drink was detected in seven regions of Russia: Ulyanovsk, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza and Kurgan regions, Udmurtia and Chuvashia.
In February 2024, the first sentence in this case was passed in Samara: former policeman Ivan Grebenkin was sentenced to 3.5 years in a penal colony. He organized the theft of 6 tons of methyl alcohol, seized back in 2012 in one of the criminal cases, from the warehouse of the Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Samara region. It was used in the production of the drink "Mr. Cider". As established by the investigation, during three weeks the policeman several times allowed a truck of his acquaintances Dmitry and Alexei Egorovs to enter the territory of the warehouse - they were sentenced to 3.3 and 3.6 years in a colony of general and strict regime.
In February 2025, the General Prosecutor's Office sent another criminal case of the drink producers to the Krasnoglinsky court of Samara. Anar Huseynov and Artem Ayrapetyan are accused of the production and sale of alcohol-containing products that do not meet safety requirements and caused mass death by negligence. According to the investigation, in 2023, Huseynov, the founder and actual head of Andi LLC, together with Ayrapetyan, organized the production of cider in Samara.
For the sake of saving time and reducing technical costs, they planned to add ethyl alcohol to the soluble juice. For this purpose Ayrapetyan purchased at least 4 thousand liters of alcohol stolen from the warehouse of the Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Samara region. The purchased liquid, which turned out to be methanol, was used in the preparation of about 48 thousand liters of cider under the trade names "Mr. Cider" and "Leto Cider".
Methanol, or methyl alcohol, looks very similar to ethyl alcohol: both are colorless liquids with a characteristic "alcoholic" smell, recalled the doctor-neurologist, expert laboratory "Gemotest" Ekaterina Demyanovskaya. When consuming methyl alcohol, a person is in danger of serious poisoning.
How much counterfeit on the market
Most poisonings with methanol occur with its ingestion, said Ekaterina Demyanovskaya. But methanol vapors get into the body and through the mucous membranes of the eyes and nasopharynx.
- In addition, absorption into the blood is possible through the skin, if a person will be contaminated with methanol clothing, - said the doctor. - Toxic dose at ingestion is considered to be a volume of about 10-30 ml. When poisoned with methanol, a person may feel weakness, dizziness, drowsiness and nausea. If he is driving at that moment, it can lead to an accident. With prolonged exposure to methanol vapors can cause the development of diseases of the nervous system, visual impairment.
Artem Kiryanov reminded that in non-laboratory conditions it is almost impossible to determine whether ethyl or methyl alcohol is in the drink.
- But the only household way is to set fire to it. Methyl alcohol burns with a green flame, and ethyl alcohol burns with a blue flame," he said.
Falsification of alcoholic beverages is a serious problem that directly relates to people's health and lives, the deputy emphasized.
- We are waiting with a shudder for reports of tragedies before the New Year and during the New Year vacations, during the May vacation," he said. - And for some groups of alcohol, such as cognac products, falsified products can still reach 40% of the total volume on the market. Methanol is certainly not considered the main component of adulterated alcohol, but even isolated tragedies are completely unacceptable.
Therefore, he said, lawmakers are trying to eliminate the possibility of using methanol to make counterfeit alcohol. The substance itself is an important component for the chemical industry, and Russia has a large concentration of methanol producers.
- It is important to exclude the appearance of even the possibility of using methyl alcohol to make counterfeit alcohol, " he said. - In this regard, amendments are indeed being considered today to help distinguish methyl alcohol.
In recent years, the problem of methyl alcohol poisoning has become so serious that a special article 234.2 was introduced into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which provides for serious liability for the illegal production, purchase, storage, transportation, forwarding for the purpose of sale and the sale of methyl alcohol (methanol) or methanol-containing liquids under the guise of alcoholic beverages. Ilya Vasilchuk, a court lawyer, reminded Izvestia about this.
- The expert added: "Such a crime is punishable by up to ten years of imprisonment with a fine of up to one million rubles.
But the introduction of special criminal liability does not solve the problem yet, he noted. Therefore, the initiative on industrial coloring of poisonous alcohol may reduce the number of deaths.
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