On the 19th December 2011, York Press reported that six bottles of counterfeit vodka seized in the city of York in November had traces of chloroform, used in pesticides, within it.
Now, 21 year old student Lauren Platts, studying at Sheffield University, has told the BBC that a bottle of counterfeit vodka almost made her go blind. As stories of illegally produced and potentially deadly vodka crop up across the University cities of Great Britain, it is time someone called for greater student awareness of the problem, and also more help on how to manage their money so that they can treat themselves to the real deal.
At £5.99, the fake vodka purchased by Platts at a small newsagents is less than half the price of standard vodka. Chris Bettison, the regulation spokesman for the local government association dealing with the problem, is quick to point out the obvious, insisting “the potential health risks far outweigh any financial savings”. What he is not considering, however, is a lack of awareness of the issue can lead to students, strapped for cash and seeking cheap alternatives to a £40 night out, are being drawn in by the price of this poisonous concoction.
Platts told the BBC, “I’ve been sent home from work because of my vision problems. It’s really scary. I think I might have it for good, but I’m just grateful to be alive and not completely blind”. This is a truly shocking realisation of the damages artificial vodka can do. The alcohol is called ‘industrial alcohol’ and the whereabouts of its creation is hard to pinpoint, due to its concealment in normal industrial units. Nonetheless, when five men died in an explosion at an industrial unit in Lincolnshire in July, police uncovered a filtration plant for making the counterfeit vodka there.
It adopts the name ‘industrial’ not just because of where it is manufactured but because it is often made by mixing methylated spirit with bleach, isopropanol (used in cleaning fluid) or indeed with chloroform. The only way of identifying it, unless you happen to have a testing kit handy, is to look closely at the label and bottle itself, which, although resembling a famous brand, will often be slightly misaligned, somewhat poor quality in print and, most importantly, will not have any details of the manufacturer anywhere. The bottle may not be as full as you would expect and different bottles of the same branding may all look slightly different. The smell of nail varnish has also been suggested as a tell-tale sign of fake vodka: but to be quite honest, the difference in aroma is minimal.
Nonetheless, as our student loans become engulfed in continuous rent payments and ridiculously high gas bills, it becomes essential that students look out for these signs of counterfeit spirits. Bob Hughes, YUSU Welfare Officer said “The news of this counterfeit vodka is certainly incredibly worrying, and with increased prices on many areas of student life driving students to find cheaper and cheaper alternatives, I would encourage students to be very aware of what they are buying, and buy from places they know they can trust.”
Roisin Caird, a second year student, whilst agreeing with Hughes, expresses the common lack of awareness of the issue, “this is definitely something to be worried about, especially since I didn’t even know what it was before you spoke to me about this issue. Students need to be made more aware of things like this so they know what to look out for. I’m personally pretty sceptical about cheap vodka because it usually tastes disgusting, but I know plenty of people who’d just buy it with no idea of the dangers posed.” When I then asked Caird why her student pals may be susceptible to the dangers of counterfeit vodka, she quickly pointed out the obvious problem: “when you’re at university, you don’t exactly have money to spend on expensive drink, so students are the most vulnerable. Publicising it more would definitely help. Most people these days know not to leave their drinks unattended because we’ve all been told of the risks of spiking. A guideline on what to look out for would probably reduce the dangers significantly.”
It has become glaringly obvious that with student loans barely covering accommodation costs, which can be as high as £100+ per week now if living in the more desirable areas, students are desperate to find cheaper ways to enjoy a Wednesday Night sports social. This need for money combined with a considerable lack of warnings about counterfeit vodka is as dangerous a mix as the liquid inside these poorly labelled bottles itself. Bob Hughes has this advice to offer, “Even if it means spending slightly more, if you are going to buy alcohol, chipping in together with friends to buy a slightly more expensive, but ultimately more trustworthy (and probably nicer) drink could help you avoid the potential dangers of counterfeit alcohol.”
Bettison (local government spokesman) voices a common thought: “Frankly, if the offer seems too good to be true, then it probably is” but this as a solution in itself is too simple to be enough.
Whilst it might sound like old news, A & E is still the best place to send someone if you are worried a friend may have consumed counterfeit vodka. This must be done as soon as possible – the longer a person is left the more damage the alcohol can do. Attempting to sleep off industrial chloroform might not be enough. An organisation that often gets bypassed is the College Welfare Team, especially beneficial if you live on campus. They ensure you receive all the care you need, and it is worth seeing them, even just to get the most out of the price you are paying for accommodation. They will make sure you get an ambulance and will come and check how you are feeling.
We have been bombarded with government health and safety campaigns over the years, and yet it seems that the problem of counterfeit alcohol has slipped under the net. It is essential that information on counterfeit vodka is made available to students yet it is also crucial that students can identify where information can be obtained if they need it. Nightline, the YUSU Advice and Support Centre and College Welfare are systems in place to provide that. As the issue of counterfeit vodka grows alongside the ever prominent problem of student cash flow, organisations such as this have a huge part to play in providing information and listening to the concerns of students.
For those hoping for a little more information on the topic of alcohol or on how to douse the burning hole where our life savings used to be, there are in fact places to look. As a Public Face of the organisation ‘Nightline’ I would point to services such as ours to offer such information. If you are worried about how you will manage to actually follow through after clicking ‘attending’ on the wall of your friend’s Facebook event without going bankrupt, you are definitely not alone. You can get all sorts of useful information from YUSU’s Advice and Support Centre in their office at James College as well as from Nightline in Wentworth E Block.
Nightline also offer a confidential listening service, so if you’re worried about friends, suffering from financial stress or just need to talk to someone, you can chat to friendly volunteers any night during term time from 8pm to 8am.
Call 01904 323 735, send an email to [email protected] or instant message the volunteers using the website www.yorknightline.org.uk.