By Our Reporter
NATIONAL
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives together with Uganda National Bureau of Standards has given an insight into why the notorious Arua City 5 Waragi is poisonous.
Addressing the Media at Uganda Media Center this morning 25th August 2022, the Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (Industry), Hon. David Bahati said laboratory analysis of the samples picked from Arua indicate that the gin had excess levels of Methanol.
Methanol is an industrial chemical, which is mostly used to create fuel and as a solvent, antifreeze or denaturant for ethanol and in synthesis of other chemicals, plastics, polyesters e.t.c.
Methanol is therefore poisonous for human consumption since it can easily be absorbed through the eyes, skin, lungs and digestive system.
Methanol is also commonly used for diluting /dissolving Wall Paints and Wood Vanishes.
“The Sample picked by Police from the Kiosk where the product was being sold was found to have been adulterated with excessive levels of Methanol above the maximum limit of 50 miligrams per litre (mg/L),” Bahati’s statement reads in part.
Bahati says this was made worse because there were very low levels of Ethanol.
“The Gin had low levels of Ethanol below 37.5% mass per volume (v/v) specified in the Standard,” the statement reads further.
He also said that 1 sample out of the 2 picked from Dbtech Enterprises was found to have been adulterated with excessive levels of Methanol above maximum limit of 50 mg/L specified in the standard.
“Based on results from the Laboratory Analysis, it is clear that the likely cause of death for the people who consumed the City 5 Gin was due to excessive adulteration of the Gin,” Bahati says.
Bahati also revealed that Methanol was found to be between 17 to 16 times far higher than the permissible level of 50 mg/L.
“It is likely that the perpetuators deliberately and illegally used Methanol as a cheaper alternative to increase the potency of the City 5 Gin, instead of Ethanol which is commonly used in making alcoholic beverages.” He said.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE DEATHS
The UNBS Enforcement Team traveled to Arua City on the 21st August, 2022 to establish the circumstances under which about 17 people who consumed a Local Gin known as City 5 died and others taken ill after its consumption.
The Bureau joined the Police and local authorities to investigate the matter and in particular pick the necessary product Samples of the City 5 Gin for Laboratory Analysis in order to ascertain its contents and ingredients therein.
The police had also picked the Sample of the packaged bottles of City 5 Gin from the Kiosk where most of the victims had purchased it from and this led them to the factory where the Gin was suspected to have been manufactured from called Luluwiri Fruit Wine.
The Bureau together with Police inspected the Luluwiri Fruit Wine Factory and found 40 unmarked drums containing Alcohol and 8 filled jerrycans containing Alcohol. 8 samples were therefore picked from this for Laboratory Analysis by UNBS.
UNBS also picked 2 samples from a nearby facility called Dbtech Enterprises which had also applied for certification of another Gin called A-City and found 6 unmarked drums containing Alcohol.
