The Ministry of Health issued a warning on Sunday regarding consumption of specific alcoholic beverages that are considered dangerous and pose health risks.

Joint operations carried out by the Department for Enforcement and the Ministry of Health discovered several fake alcoholic beverages in kiosks in Rishon Letzion and Tel Aviv. The beverages include Stopka vodka, K.B. Brandy group, and a drink called Hyajka Brand.

Laboratory tests discovered that Stopka vodka, which is sold in 100 ml plastic glasses and contains 40% alcohol, had high levels of methanol – 27 times higher than the legal Israeli standard – and that the drink contained Brucine.

BRANDY K.B., which is sold in a 200 ml bottle and contains 40% alcohol, was discovered to have methanol levels 28 times higher than the legal Israeli standard and also contained Brucine.

Hyajka Brand beverage, labeled in English as the “brand of the best taste” which contains 40% Alc. Vol was discovered to have 24 times the legal amount of methanol.

Methanol in high doses can cause side effects such as dizziness, weakness, confusion, headache, vomiting, abdominal cramps and seizures. Drinking methanol can cause blindness as it damages the optic nerve and can even result in death.

Brucine is a substance similar to the poison strychnine, and drinking it may cause a number of physical injuries including nausea, vomiting, convulsions, muscle aches, fever, and kidney failure.

The Ministry of Health warns against consuming these drinks.