Risking death while enjoying your favorite cocktail? From the chic bars of Sao Paulo to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, concern is spreading in Brazil after a wave of poisonings due to adulterated alcohol.
One person has died after confirmed poisoning by methanol, a highly toxic substance, and 11 other suspected deaths are being investigated, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Friday.
In total, 11 cases of poisoning have been confirmed and around 100 suspected cases recorded. Most are concentrated in the state of São Paulo, but cases have also been reported in four other regions and in the capital, Brasília.
Local media report that victims have fallen into comas and have mentioned the fate of a woman who lost her sight after drinking three glasses of vodka in a bar in Sao Paulo, the economic capital.
These news have sown fear, and many consumers are now avoiding gin, vodka and cachaça — the base of the famous Brazilian caipirinha.
"I'm definitely not going out for drinks this weekend, all of this is worrying," Rafael Martinez, a 30-year-old architect, told AFP on Friday while having lunch in the Jardins district of Sao Paulo, where a bar was closed by the authorities.
"For now, I prefer to limit myself to soda or, at most, beer, because they said it's harder to counterfeit," he adds.
Health Minister Alexandre Padilha has asked Brazilians to be wary of distilled alcohols.
The origin of this adulterated alcohol remains a mystery. Police are investigating whether organized crime is involved.
The authorities have set up a "crisis cell" and are working to procure known antidotes to methanol, both domestically and internationally.
Methanol is a highly toxic industrial chemical that attacks the liver and nerves. It is sometimes found in counterfeit or poorly manufactured alcoholic beverages.
– “Why take a risk?”
On Friday night in the Vila Mariana district of Sao Paulo, on a street that is usually bustling, most of the bars were almost deserted, an AFP videographer observed.
Nikolaos Loukopoulos, 55, owner of the Greek restaurant Athenas in another part of the megalopolis, has decided to stop selling alcohol for at least a week.
On Thursday evening, "nobody bought any drinks... not even me, I don't want to drink. A beer in this heat feels good, why take a risk?", he says.
Rio de Janeiro, the country's top tourist destination, has not recorded any cases, but several restaurants have posted statements on Instagram to reassure their customers.
Thais Flores, 28, a dental surgeon from Sao Paulo, reluctantly bought a Corona from one of the kiosks serving cocktails on the famous Ipanema beach.
She "doesn't really like beer" but, in these times, it's the drink she "prefers", she confides.
Her friend from Rio, 29-year-old Raquel Marques, nevertheless opted for a caipirinha and vodka. "I'm scared," she admits, "but the guy said he bought it at the market."
The kiosk owner, Fabio de Souza, 44, says that "four people have already asked about methanol."
He is worried about his business, but explains that he lets his customers taste the pure alcohol "so they feel more confident" before ordering a cocktail.
Neither he nor his clients knew that methanol is odorless and tasteless.
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