Tainted alcohol mass poisoning leaves three dead and hundreds sick in Brazil

Authorities in Brazil are investigating the source of the tainted drinks, mainly gin, vodka, and whiskey, and whether the contamination was intentional or accidental

View 3 Images

A third person has died after drinking poisoned alcohol^[1] as desperate authorities search for the source of the tainted drinks in Brazil.

Bruna Araújo de Souza, 30, died after falling in having consumed a vodka-based drink at a bar last week. The deaths of two other victims, Marcos Antônio Jorge Júnior, 46, and Ricardo Lopes Mira, 54, were reported in late September. All three were from the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.

According to the health ministry, a total of 225 confirmed cases of methanol poisoning have been reported in the country so far, with most in the same region where three people have died. A dozen businesses have been closed with police seizing around 10,000 bottles of alcohol.

READ MORE: Methanol poisoning Brit, 23, blinded for life after accepting free hostel drinks^[2]READ MORE: Laos methanol poisoning: How horror unfolded and terrifying warning days before Brit died^[3]

View 3 Images

Police do not know if the contamination was intentional or accidental. People have been told not to consume any drinks without labels and authorities say the three people died after the dangerous liquid was found in drinks at three separate bars.

They confirmed the tainted drinks are mainly gin, vodka, and whiskey. Brazil^[4]’s health minister Alexandre Padilha has called the situation “abnormal and unlike anything else in our history regarding methanol poisoning in the country”. He added: “I advise everyone to avoid distilled products, especially colorless ones, unless you’re certain of their origin. These are not essential items.”

The World Health Organization has called on member states to “enhance toxicological and epidemiological surveillance, guarantee prompt clinical management of cases, strengthen prevention and risk communication efforts directed at the public, and work in coordination with relevant authorities to investigate and control the circulation of contaminated beverages”.

Last year, six backpackers died^[5] in Laos^[6] as a result of suspected methanol poisoning. The travellers, including a British lawyer, are believed to had all taken shots laced with methanol^[7], which is sometimes used by disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol (alcohol), and can cause severe poisoning or death.

View 3 Images

What is methanol poisoning?

Methanol poisoning is defined by the NIH^[8] as the consumption of methanol (a type of toxic alcohol found in products like paint thinner and antifreeze). Given that methanol is clear, tasteless and almost completely odourless, it is nearly impossible to know whether a drink is contaminated.

But even a small amount of methanol can lead to critical illness or death. According to the NHS^[9], “methanol poisoning can cause visual disturbance, and as little as 4mL methanol has been reported to cause blindness.”

The site states that other symptoms of methanol poisoning include: “dizziness, drowsiness, vomiting, severe abdominal pain and diarrhoea.” Depending on the amount ingested and the time before treatment, methanol poisoning can also lead to coma, nervous system damage and death.

Untreated methanol poisoning has fatality rates of 20% to 40%^[10], depending on the concentration of toxic methanol and the amount taken. However, according to humanitarian aid organisation, Doctors Without Borders^[11], this is an underestimation of the real situation.