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Lambanog standards eyed after 400 hospitalized during Christmas holidays

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA - The government will set standards on production of palm wine or lambanog after consumption of the liquor during the Christmas holidays left 17 people killed and 400 others hospitalized, a health official said Friday.</p><p>Most of the victims consumed lambanog from a Batangas brewery that did not have a certificate of product registration from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo told ANC&#x27;s Early Edition.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1381161" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>&quot;We&#x27;re going to work with local governments to make sure that there is regulation at the level of the barangay because some of them are backyard producers,&quot; he said.</p><p>While regulations are being worked out, Domingo advised the public to consume only products with proper labels.</p><p>&quot;If you look at the samples [that<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/25/19/lambanog-samples-from-laguna-test-positive-for-toxic-levels-of-methanol"> tested positive</a> for methanol], they were put in bottles of mineral water or lechon sauce or any container they could find,&quot; he said.</p><p>Samples of lambanog from Laguna and Quezon tested positive for methanol, a substance that looks and tastes similar to ethanol.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/07/07/19/what-is-methanol-poisoning">What is methanol poisoning?</a></li></ul><p>Brewers must follow a &quot;very precise&quot; distillation process to ensure that the liquor they produce does not have more than 1 percent of methanol, Domingo said.</p><p>Consuming 30 ml or about a teaspoon of methanol is enough to kill a person, the undersecretary said.</p><p>&quot;Your blood becomes acidic and you end up with what we call metabolic acidosis, which can attack all of the organs,&quot; he said, noting that symptoms will surface over a day after ingesting the chemical.</p><p>&quot;It can turn people blind. It can harm your gut. It can harm your kidneys. It can harm your heart. Ito yung kinamamatay,&quot; he said.</p><p>The cost of putting up a facility that will pass FDA standards is one of the reasons why small-time breweries refuse to apply for accreditation, Domingo said.</p><p>Domingo did not disclose the projected cost of &quot;investment,&quot; but noted that authorities would check the size, cleanliness, and the quality of water and machines in factories.</p><p>&quot;There is an investment but it does pay off,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The government is eyeing to regulate backyard breweries that produce palm wine or lambanog after 17 people were killed while 400 others were hospitalized after consuming the local liquor, a Health official said Friday.</p>

The government is eyeing to regulate backyard breweries that produce palm wine or lambanog after 17 people were killed while 400 others were hospitalized after consuming the local liquor, a Health official said Friday.