Brazil Faces Methanol Poisoning Crisis: 14 Dead and Dozens Hospitalized

Since last August, Brazil has been recording numerous cases of methanol poisoning due to illegal additions to beverages, resulting in several deaths. Beverage fraudsters add the highly toxic alcohol to reduce the costs of counterfeit drinks. Authorities continue to investigate  other possible hypotheses. In the last week of October, the Ministry of Health reported 59 cases and 14 deaths.

Methanol is an alcohol used by the industry as a solvent but never as an ingredient in beverages for human consumption. Recently, several countries around the world have experienced criminal poisonings due to methanol being added to alcoholic beverages. In 2024, the case of three British friends who died after consuming methanol-contaminated drinks in Laos made headlines in major newspapers worldwide. Until 2025, Indonesia was the country with the highest number of methanol poisoning cases, totaling 335 since 2019. In second place, India reported 140 cases, while Russia, with 121 cases, ranked third in methanol poisoning since 2019, according to data provided by Médecins Sans Frontières.

It is impossible for someone drinking a cocktail or even pure distilled and fermented beverages to know if methanol has been added to their glass. Both highly toxic methanol and ethanol, which is normally present in distilled and fermented drinks, are alcohols, making it difficult to identify them by odor or the colorless appearance of both.

After having three caipirinhas at a bar in São Paulo, in the upscale Alameda Lorena area, architect Radharani Domingos, 43, lost her vision in both eyes. Ophthalmologist Dr Fábio Ejzenbaum from the Santa Casa Hospital in São Paulo explained that the architect lost her vision permanently and emphasized the difficulty he had in delivering the news to the patient and her family. 

Dr. Ejzenbaum underscored  that abdominal cramping is one of the symptoms that go beyond what we know is expected after alcohol consumption, acting as an important alert to seek medical attention urgently. He also noted that early recognition and treatment, sometimes including hemodialysis, ICU admission, and acidosis control, are crucial.

Methanol added to drinks is metabolized differently from ethanol, as methanol is metabolized by the liver and turns into formaldehyde, which is highly toxic to the optic nerve and other organs and structures, such as the central nervous system, and  the kidneys. Formaldehyde is the substance used to embalm (preserve) deceased bodies, being very toxic to living beings.

The police are investigating several hypotheses, not ruling out the possible use of vehicle fuel alcohol, intentionally contaminated with methanol. That is, two offenses:

1. Using fuel alcohol to add to counterfeit alcoholic beverages
2. Adulterating fuel with the addition of highly toxic methanol, which is harmful even to car engines.

In the state of São Paulo alone, 66 people have been arrested for allegedly being involved in the counterfeiting of beverages with methanol. In early October, a clandestine factory was shut down by the São Paulo Civil Police in the ABC Paulista region, near the city of São Paulo. Brazilian lawmakers are evaluating changes in legislation to make the adulteration of food and beverages a heinous crime.