What is known about the mass poisoning of “Hawthorn” in Irkutsk
More than 40 people died in Irkutsk in poisoning bath concentrate “Hawthorn”, more than 40 people are in hospitals. The city authorities introduced a state of emergency and banned the sale of “Hawthorn”, spoke about the incident in the Kremlin, and Prime Minister Medvedev called for the adoption of restrictive measures. What happened in Detroit and what it may lead — in the review of RBC.
What happened
- In Irkutsk 41 people died because of the poisoning bath concentrate “Hawthorn”, which is found antifreeze and methanol.
- According to the Prosecutor of Leninsky district of Irkutsk Stanislav Zubovsky, hospitalized more than 40 people who consumed the concentrate. The press Secretary of the Ministry of health of the Irkutsk region Tatiana Skurskaya told RBC that the exact number of dead is specified. “At the moment in hospitals of Irkutsk are 15 people. Their condition is estimated as an extreme severity. Only two in the moderate severity”, — said Skurka. According to the regional Ministry of health, in hospitals died 17 people, another ten people were found already dead.
- As reported by CCJ, the inhabitants of one of microdistricts of the Leninsky district of Irkutsk city bought the concentrate for bathing “Hawthorn” and despite the warning not to use it inside, placed on the label, “used these products as an alcoholic”. In “Hawthorn” instead of the ethyl alcohol contained methyl.
- The authorities of Irkutsk have introduced a state of emergency.
- The head of the interregional administration of the Federal alcohol market regulatory service in the Siberian Federal district Aleksey Krupin said that, according to the label, “liquid produced in Saint-Petersburg on the other 9158-007-46931608-01”. “Document number does not exist”, — he said.
- The regional investigation Department of the TFR opened a criminal case under part 3 of article 238 of the criminal code (production, storage, and distribution of goods and products that do not meet the requirements of safety, entailed on imprudence death of two and more persons). Conducted searches in the markets of Irkutsk, where they could be purchased “Hawthorn”. SK reported the detection of more than one hundred points of sale of concentrate.
- Detained seven sellers and producers of concentrate.
Reaction
- Vladimir Putin was informed about the incident in Irkutsk, said the press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov.
- Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev urged to deal with trafficking alkogolesoderzhaschie liquids in Russia and protested the sale of concentrates through the machines under the guise of drugs.
According to DSM Group, the market for alcoholic medicines in 2014 amounted to 3 billion rubles, in 2015 — almost 4 billion RUB in the first nine months of 2016 is 3.1 billion rubles.
- As told RBC press Secretary of the Ministry of health of the Irkutsk region Tatiana Skurskaya, about the incident reported to the head of Ministry of health of Russia Veronika Skvortsova, the situation is also under control of Minister of health of the region Oleg Yaroshenko.
- On 12 December, the government proposed to set the excise tax on alcohol medicinal tinctures, household chemicals and cosmetics that citizens often consumed as alcoholic beverages instead of expensive drinks from the shops. Instructions to the Ministry of Finance gave the Vice-Premier Alexander Khloponin, who oversees the alcohol market.
- The health Ministry told RBC that in the fight against “pharmacy alcoholism” the Department has prepared a draft Federal law that prohibits the sale of alcohol pharmacy products in vending machines.
- In November, a request to lock communities selling “Hawthorn”, the leadership of the social network “Vkontakte” asked the first Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on health protection Nikolay Govorin. By 29 November, according to moderators of the social network, most of the groups were closed.
As found RBC, parallel the alcohol market in Russia is 20% from the official. For more than 10% of Russian medicines and lotions have become alternatives to conventional, but expensive vodka. According to calculations rosalkogolregulirovaniya (PAP), every year the Russians consume alkogolesoderzhaschie of liquids in volume from 170 million to 250 million liters per equivalent of vodka (40% ethanol).
Struggling with “Hawthorn”
To introduce excise duty: in 2006 the state Duma Committee on budget and taxes proposed to deal with alcohol-containing drugs by imposing excise on these products. Proposed to introduce excise the Ministry of Finance in 2014, but the initiative was limited to the proposals.
Equate to alcohol and to include in USAIS: in October 2014 Dmitry Medvedev has ordered the government to study the issue of limiting the sale of medications containing ethyl alcohol. In 2015, a special government Commission considered a “road map” that envisages to extend the Unified state automated information system (USAIS) for the production of alcohol by Pharmacopoeia articles and license the production of medical alcohol. The Finance Ministry is also in the fall of 2016 has proposed to equate hawthorn tincture to alcoholic beverages and include it in the USAIS.
Sell prescription: in 2011, the Governor of Ulyanovsk region Sergey Morozov has signed the order to sell medication containing alcohol volume more than 50 ml by prescription only. After a year, noted the positive results of the restrictions and the new restrictions leave alcohol-containing preparations to be sent to the state Duma. It was planned to propose the exclusion from the state register of medicinal alcohol tinctures of more than 25 ml, and also to prohibit the sale of perfumery and cosmetic products with an alcohol content over 40%.
Limit the scope: in 2012, members in the Kursk region took the initiative to appeal to the state Duma and the government with a proposal to ban the sale of tinctures of hawthorn, peony and pepper spilled in the capacity of more than 25 ml, in pharmacies. In March 2016, it was reported that the Ministry of health has prepared an Ordinance prohibiting medicinal tinctures containing alcohol volume more than 25 ml.
Agree to pharmacies: in the Kirov region in October 2013, ten pharmacies have signed a Memorandum on the exception to the sale of alcohol-containing non-food products in packages with a volume of 25 ml. the head of the Crimea Sergey Aksenov in March 2016 the proposed ban in the Republic of the free sale of tincture of hawthorn. It was reported that one of the ways is to get the sellers to sign a Memorandum and to abandon the implementation of these products.
Review the lease: in March 2014 the city of Kyzyl adopted a regulation o that prohibit the sale of hawthorn tincture of non-stationary trade objects, threatening a renegotiation of the lease.