I have no reason to question this bit of medical wisdom from Kenya but it is so simple and elegant that it is worth relaying:
...when ethanol is introduced, the breakdown of methanol is delayed as ethanol, which is digested faster than methanol, takes over, thus quickly reversing the damage. "The body will shift its attention to breaking down ethanol, which is more competitive and easily absorbed into the system, hence sidelining methanol," he tells The Standard. This means the toxic substance will not be released into the body. If the victim is given more fluids, the methanol will be excreted from the body in form of urine.
Kenya has seen a rise in deaths from drinking illicit booze so the story has as much an air of a public service announcement as a news item. When we read about "emerging markets" we are not necessarily reminded that there are worse things to drink out there than macro light lager. One of those, in fact, might actually save your life.





