KBS News Methanol found in solid fuel / KBS 2025.11.12.

[Anchor]

These days, solid fuel can be easily seen at camping sites.

It does not require electricity or gas, and is said to be safe as it is made from ethanol.

However, upon investigation, several products containing the toxic substance methanol were found.

Reporter Kim Chae-rin has the story.

[Report]

When a small object is ignited, the fire immediately blazes up.

This is ‘ethanol solid fuel’ made by solidifying alcohol.

It is commonly used for simple cooking at home, restaurants, and camping sites.

[Solid fuel user/voice altered: “For quick-cooking beef or gyukatsu, it seems more convenient to use solid fuel than a gas stove. It’s small and portable…”]

However, a significant amount of the toxic substance ‘methanol’ was detected in some solid fuel products.

According to an analysis by the Korea Consumer Agency of the most sold solid fuel products on major online shopping malls, 5 out of 8 were confirmed to contain harmful chemicals with methanol content exceeding 10%.

There were even products where nearly 60% of the total ingredients were methanol.

It is presumed that methanol, which is cheaper than ethanol, was mixed to save on manufacturing costs, and the ingredient labeling was omitted.

[Go Tae-sang/Deputy Researcher, Chemical Environment Team, Korea Consumer Agency: “There is no indication of methanol in the product name or labeling, so consumers cannot recognize this.”]

Exposure to methanol can lead to severe cases of optic nerve damage and even blindness.

Using solid methanol indoors without ventilation should be strictly avoided.

[Kang Sang-wook/Professor, Department of Chemical Energy Engineering, Sangmyung University: “Even just leaving solid fuel out causes it to volatilize slowly, and when burned, a larger amount volatilizes and disperses. People watching from the front are inhaling that directly. Inhaling it can cause the same optic nerve toxicity.”]

The Consumer Agency has taken measures to prevent the problematic products from being sold, and stated that most companies have submitted quality improvement plans indicating they will not use methanol.

This is KBS News, Kim Chae-rin.

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