Adulterated alcohol has wreaked havoc in Brazil. The Brazilian Ministry of Health confirms 225 cases of methanol poisoning after consumption of alcoholic beverages, confirmed or not. Several victims have reportedly fallen into a coma and there have already been 15 deaths (2 confirmed and 13 under investigation). One woman even lost her sight after drinking three glasses of vodka in a bar in the economic capital.
Closed bars and a population on guard
Faced with fear, Brazilians are changing their habits. “It’s certain that I won’t go out drinking this weekend, all of this is worrying“, confides Rafael Martinez, a 30-year-old architect to AFP.
In his Jardins district, in São Paulo, a bar has already been closed by the authorities. “For now, I prefer to stick to soda or, at most, beer, because they said it’s harder to fake.”
Health Minister Alexandre Padilha called on residents to be wary of distilled alcohol and to report any suspicious drinks. A “crisis unit” was set up to identify the source of the methanol. But also to supply hospitals with antidotes. The police are now exploring the trail of organized crime, suspected of being involved in the manufacture or distribution of these dangerous products.
In Rio de Janeiro, the country’s top tourist destination, no cases have yet been recorded. But several restaurants there have published reassuring messages on Instagram, promising reinforced controls on their alcohol stocks.
In Brazil, a crisis unit has been set up to manage the situation at the national level. The Department of Health has begun distributing pharmaceutical ethanol, an antidote used to treat methanol poisoning, to states that have officially requested it. The Ministry announced the additional purchase of 12,000 units of pharmaceutical ethanol, in addition to 2,500 units of fomepizole – both drugs are used in the treatment of methanol poisoning.
Adulterated alcohol causes more than 100,000 deaths per year
Consulted, Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and author of My True Medical bible of symptoms published by Editions Leduc, recalls that adulterated alcohol illustrates a global public health problem.
“It is responsible for numerous deaths around the world each year: according to the WHO, adulterated alcohol causes more than 100,000 deaths annually. It leads to frequent incidents and massive poisonings, particularly in developing countries because this alcohol is often denatured by the addition of methanol or other toxic substances (sometimes produced with unsuitable equipment such as automobile radiators used as condensers…)”.
Methanol is a highly toxic industrial chemical. Even in small quantities, it can cause irreversible effects, including:
- Visual disturbances which can lead to blindness;
- Dermatitis and skin inflammation;
- Severe, potentially fatal poisoning;
- A deep coma;
- Liver damage;
- Neuropsychological disorders.
In these products, we can thus find methanol (which can also cause serious eye damage, neurological damage and death even in small quantities) or even glycol from antifreeze, lead, etc.
An invisible but deadly scourge
The origin of this wave of poisonings remains mysterious for the moment. However, the authorities fear that batches of contaminated alcohol are still circulating in the country.
But for Dr Kierzek, the risk is not limited to Brazil. “Adulterated alcohol is an underestimated scourge because it often escapes control. And when symptoms appear, it is often too late.”.