‘I went to a bar to celebrate after work – then I woke up completely blind’

Radharani Domingos says a cocktail on a night out changed her life forever after being left blinded by the contaminated drink as Brazil’s alcohol poisoning crisis deepens

View 3 Images

A woman has been left blinded following some drinks in a bar with friends after becoming the latest victim of the deadly alcohol poisoning^[1] sweeping Brazil.

Three people have died^[2] after the methanol poisoning as desperate authorities search for the source of the tainted drinks in Brazil. Police investigating the deaths have uncovered a clandestine alcohol^[3] factory whose products are believed to be linked to the tainted drink deaths.

Bruna Araújo de Souza, 30, died after falling ill having consumed a vodka-based drink a fortnight ago. 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.

READ MORE: Methanol poisoning kills three in Brazil as secret alcohol factory uncovered^[4]READ MORE: ‘I’m a wine connoisseur and this wine advent calendar is the best I’ve found’^[5]

View 3 Images

Now Radharani Domingos, 43, has spoken after waking up in hospital unable to see after a night out after work. She said drinking the the Caipirinha – a Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça, sugar, lime, and ice – totally changed her life. “I woke up feeling sick. I thought I was going to see my walls, but I was just groping,” she told Brazilian media^[6] as her sister added: “She was disoriented, with blurred vision, and vomiting constantly.”

There has been a total of 225 confirmed cases of methanol poisoning – mainly in São Paulo^[7]. Last week, the Civil Police^[8] uncovered a secret alcoholic beverage factory, located in São Bernardo do Campo, which allegedly bought contaminated ethanol at gas stations to produce the drinks that caused the death of two of the victims.

Authorities confirmed the contaminated drinks are mainly gin, vodka, and whiskey. Public Security Secretary Guilherme Derrite said during a press conference that the ethanol used in the production of counterfeit drinks contained more than 40% methanol mixed with ethanol – and in some cases, would have originated from the same gas station or chain of gas stations.

View 3 Images

Brazil^[9]’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^[10] in Laos^[11] as a result of suspected methanol poisoning. The travellers, including a British lawyer, are believed to had all taken shots laced with methanol^[12], which is sometimes used by disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol (alcohol), and can cause severe poisoning or death.

What is methanol poisoning?

Methanol poisoning is defined by the NIH^[13] 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^[14], “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%^[15], depending on the concentration of toxic methanol and the amount taken. However, according to humanitarian aid organisation, Doctors Without Borders^[16], this is an underestimation of the real situation.