The affected youths were found on Saturday evening in Nacka and Tyresö, and in connection with a party in Vallentuna on Friday. Sampling of some of them has shown isopropanol in the blood.
On Sunday, all patients were restored and could be discharged, according to Juan Figueroa Sepulveda, chief physician at the Maria Ungdom special clinic. According to him, the incident is unusual.
I have been working for almost 30 years and have never experienced this. Possibly, one single person may have come in, but not so many at the same time.
According to the police, it is too early to say whether there is any connection between the cases.
Three or four investigations are ongoing in parallel. During the weekend, we intervened against a vodka seller and caught them red-handed, says Ola Österling, press spokesperson for the Stockholm police.
Released on their own recognizance
The five people who were arrested in southern Stockholm and detained over the weekend have, however, been released on their own recognizance, but are still suspected. The police cannot say whether they are directly linked to the weekend's events, as it is difficult to track where the bottles come from.
Also on Sunday evening, two youths were taken to hospital after a party in the Slakthusområdet area of Stockholm. According to police information, smuggled spirits were present at the party, but it is unclear if there was anything wrong with the alcohol. No crime report has been filed.
The problem with so-called "bad spirits" sold to young people is well-known to the police. In September, they struck, among other things, against a villa where spirits were poured from barrels into bottles.
We have previously intervened against pure spirit factories where we find these red vodka bottles, Smirnoff bottles, but they can also be smuggled from abroad, says Ola Österling.
"Is life-threatening"
The police have previously stated that the youths in Friday's case drank alcohol from a so-called "vodka seller" that they had contacted via Snapchat. According to Ola Österling, the police are also monitoring these accounts, which in some cases allows them to track down those who sell.
With the autumn break approaching, the police want to send a message:
It is important that all parents talk to their children about not drinking spirits at all, but especially not those that come from various types of vodka sellers – because it is life-threatening and they have no idea what they are drinking.
Isopropanol is a colorless alcohol that is included in, among other things, carburetor cleaner, windshield washer fluid, and disinfectants.
Isopropanol can be hazardous to ingest, especially for children. Symptoms that may occur include, among other things, intoxication, low blood pressure, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
If a small child has ingested the product, the advice is:
+ Give a little drink
+ Call the Poison Information Center and check the risk with the product
+ Go to the hospital in case of intoxication symptoms or if more than a sip has been consumed
Source: Poison Information Center
