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Squire Patton Boggs<\/p>\nJoshua Askew<\/p>\n
BBC News, South East<\/p>\n
Squire Patton Boggs<\/p>\n
Ms White died while travelling in south-east Asia<\/p>\n
The family of a woman who died from suspected methanol poisoning while travelling in south-east Asia have succeeded in their campaign for compulsory education about the issue in schools.<\/p>\n
Simone White, a 28-year-old lawyer from Orpington, died in 2024 along with five others after consuming free shots at a hostel in Laos.<\/p>\n
The government said it has now updated the curriculum on increasing personal safety while drinking alcohol, including how to avoid poisoning from potentially fatal substances, such as methanol.<\/p>\n
But toxicologist Prof Alistair Hay said the difficulty with methanol – which he called a “very potent toxin” – is that nobody will detect it in bootleg alcohol. <\/p>\n
Methanol can be easily disguised in drinks as it is tasteless and has a faint smell. <\/p>\n
“We need to keep her memory alive,” Amanda Dennis, a family representative of Ms White, told the BBC. <\/p>\n
“By doing that and raising awareness, hopefully we can save other young people’s lives so families don’t have to go through what we’ve all gone through.” <\/p>\n
“It’s been really difficult,” she continued. <\/p>\n
‘Dodgy alcohol’<\/p>\n
A Department for Education spokesperson said the new cirriculum – coming into effect in 2026 – would support pupils in the modern world. <\/p>\n
Jim Dickson, Labour MP for Dartford, told the BBC “young people need to be encouraged to explore… other countries, but they also need the information to keep themselves safe.”<\/p>\n
He has previously raised the issue in parliament to stop similar “tragedies”.<\/p>\n
Methanol is a toxic chemical that sometimes ends up in “dodgy alcohol”, according to government advice<\/a>.<\/p>\n Even in small doses, it can cause vision problems, permanent damage to the central nervous system and – in extreme cases – death, it added. <\/p>\n