# \>300 dead in Iran from drinking methanol

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/300-dead-in-iran-from-drinking-methanol/850620>\
**Category:** The Quarantine Zone\
**Tags:** covid-quarantine\
**Created:** [March 29, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/300-dead-in-iran-from-drinking-methanol/850620 "2020-03-29T20:45:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/300-dead-in-iran-from-drinking-methanol/850620/1 "2020-03-29T20:45:42Z")

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Alcoholic beverages are illegal in Iran, and a rumor somehow got started that DRINKING methanol, which is toxic at extremely low doses, would prevent or cure COVID. Since Iran is being ravaged by the disease, naturally people are desperate enough to do something drastic like this.

Over 300 are known to have died, and thousands more sickened, by doing this.

> **[Hundreds dead in Iran from drinking methanol amid fake reports it cures...](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-coronavirus-methanol-drink-cure-deaths-fake-a9429956.html)**
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> As many as 480 people may have died from drinking the toxic substance following rumours that ingesting high-proof alcohol is a remedy for Covid-19

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**Author:** ![Harrington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac8455/32.png) [@Harrington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harrington)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/300-dead-in-iran-from-drinking-methanol/850620/2 "2020-03-29T20:55:35Z")

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You won’t catch Covid-19 when dead, so maybe this is an effective prevention strategy.

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**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/300-dead-in-iran-from-drinking-methanol/850620/3 "2020-03-30T14:55:09Z")

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I fear that we’re going to see more and more of these secondary deaths that are caused by fear and rumor.

People will take crazy risks if they think the alternative is death.

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/300-dead-in-iran-from-drinking-methanol/850620/4 "2020-03-30T16:35:57Z")

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Already have a thread on this - [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=892704](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=892704)

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/300-dead-in-iran-from-drinking-methanol/850620/5 "2020-03-30T17:45:06Z")

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> [@Telemark](#):
>
> Already have a thread on this - [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=892704](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=892704)

Closed duplicate.