普京下令嚴打伏特加替代品

Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered his cabinet to crack down on dangerous vodka substitutes after 62 people in Siberia died this week from drinking contaminated bath oil.

俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾.普京(Vladimir Putin)下令內閣嚴打危險的伏特加替代品，此前，西伯利亞本週有62人因飲用受污染的沐浴油而死亡。

Mr Putin’s decree, published on the Kremlin’s website on Wednesday, will introduce measures restricting the production and sale of cosmetics and medicines with alcohol content above 25 per cent.

週三發佈在克里姆林宮網站上的這道法令，將採取措施限制酒精含量超25%的化妝品和藥品的生產與銷售。

The move comes amid a surge in cases of people dying from drinking cheap pharmaceutical products for their high alcohol content — sometimes as much as 95 per cent — instead of vodka.

此舉背景是，近期因飲用高酒精含量（有時高達95%）的廉價醫藥用品代替伏特加而死亡的案例激增。

With such products, often available from vending machines on the street,

此類產品通常可以從街上的自動售貨機買到，且價格只有合法釀造的伏特加幾分之一。

selling for a fraction of the price of legally made vodka,

飲用這些伏特加替代品致人死亡的問題在俄羅斯偏遠地區尤其嚴重。

the problem is particularly acute in provincial Russia and has worsened as a two-year recession takes its toll on the poorest Russians.

兩年來的經濟衰退對最貧窮的俄羅斯人的打擊使這一問題進一步惡化。

The government is also under orders to change regulation on the products to make them less attractive to drinkers.

根據命令，俄政府還將改變此類產品的監管，以減少它們對嗜酒者的吸引力。

In Irkutsk, the Siberian city near Lake Baikal where at least 107 people fell ill from drinking the bath oil,

在靠近貝加爾湖(Lake Baikal)的西伯利亞城市伊爾庫茨克(Irkutsk)，至少107人因飲用沐浴油而病倒。

local authorities declared a public health emergency and banned the sale and production of all alcohol not marketed as a beverage.

地方當局宣佈進入公共衛生緊急狀態，並禁止銷售和生產非飲料的含酒精產品。

Oleg Yaroshenko, the region’s top public health official, said that about half of those still in hospital were not expected to live.

該地公共衛生高級官員奧列格.亞羅申科(Oleg Yaroshenko)稱，約半數仍在醫院搶救的患者沒有生還希望。

Only a miracle can save them, he said, according to state media.

據官方媒體報道，他說：只有奇蹟可以拯救他們。

Regulators say that Russians annually drink a total of 170m-250m litres of pharmacy cognac measured in vodka terms of about 40 per cent alcohol.

監管機構表示俄羅斯人每年總共要喝掉1.7億至2.5億升藥房白蘭地——以酒精含量約40%的伏特加計算。

Taking into account the liquids’ higher alcohol content, the underground alcohol market makes up about 20 per cent of total consumption.

考慮到這種液體的高酒精含量，地下酒水市場約佔總消費量的20%。

Police said the bath oil sold in Irkutsk had contained methylated spirit and antifreeze instead of ethanol.

警方表示伊爾庫茨克銷售的沐浴油含有甲基化酒精和防凍劑，而不是乙醇。

Counterfeit vodka made at the same factory that produced the bath oil also contained methylated spirit.

生產涉事沐浴油的同一家工廠僞造的伏特加中也含有甲基化酒精。