A man from Østfold has been admitted to the intensive care unit at Ullevål Hospital with methanol poisoning. Dangerous alcohol may be in circulation, warns the hospital.

After a man was hospitalised with methanol poisoning, people are being asked to be careful about drinking alcohol they are not sure about.

NTB reports on the case.

Do not drink alcohol if you don’t know its origin. The hospitals in the surrounding areas have been notified, says Dag Jacobsen, head of the department of emergency medicine at Oslo University Hospital, in a press release.

Methanol is a toxic alcohol that is difficult to distinguish from ethanol, which is a common alcohol. Ingestion of methanol can lead to serious symptoms, such as loss of vision and death if ingested.

More information about the dangers of methanol can be found at Helse-Norge.

Also in February, an Østfold man was admitted to Ullevål hospital with methanol poisoning.

Although Østfold currently appears to be at the centre of such cases, there is a risk that dangerous alcohol may also be smuggled to other parts of the country.