Metanol poisoning to San Paolo: what is known and what the risks are

The cases related to adulterated drinks have already caused deaths in the great San Paolo; The expert explains how methanol acts on the body

The authorities of St. Paul intensified the inspection and investigation actions after the record of cases of methanol poisoning, presumably linked to the consumption of adulterated alcohol.

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According to the city, there are already 22 cases notified, 17 suspicions and 5 confirmed. To date, there have been five deaths: one of them confirmed due to methanol and four still in analysis. The main hypothesis is that contamination is associated with spirits such as gin, whiskey and vodka sold in bars and cellars.

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Crisis

On the afternoon of Tuesday 30, Governor Tarcisio de Freitas (Republicans) announced the creation of a crisis office.

“In the State of Saint Paul, in September, we had 43,000 inspections made throughout the state. Therefore, it is a constant object of concern,” said Tarcisio.

The government determined the precautionary interdiction of all the factories in which adulterated drinks were consumed and advised the health department to strengthen the treatment protocols, as well as the agile notification application of new cases. The Ministry of Health also determined the immediate notification of any suspicion. Procon-Sp has opened a specific channel for complaints related to suspicious drinks.

According to the Secretary of Health, Eleuss Paiva, the first notification was recorded on September 1st. Since then, over 50,000 bottles have been seized, especially in Greater San Paolo, where the five confirmed cases are concentrated.

On Monday 29, new operations led to the seizure of over 100 bottles in the neighborhoods of Moca and Jardins. According to Estodão, one of the places interviewed was Minister Bar, in Alameda Lorena, where one of the victims reported that he had consumed alcohol before showing symptoms of intoxication. The person remains hospitalized after losing the vision.

Organized crime

The governor denied the involvement of the factions in events: “Much was hypothesized on the participation of the crime organized in this tampering with drinks. Just to clarify, there is no evidence that there is a crime organized in this.”

Investigations now try to identify in which phase of the marketing chain occurs tampering and contain the circulation of contaminated drinks.

Understand the risks of poisoning

TO EarthThe neurologist of the Catholic University of Brasilia, Carolina Colaço explained that methanol is an industrial alcohol used as a solvent and fuel and has a liquid and transparent appearance. Already the alcohol consumed in drinks is ethanol.

“The central clinical difference is the metabolism: the viral acetate (relatively safe) ethanol, while the methanol is converted into formaldehyde and formic acid, which are toxic, especially for the optic nerve and cause metabolic acidosis.” The expert warns: small quantities already represent a serious health risk. “

The first symptoms can be misleading, since in the early hours they resemble the effect of common alcohol with dizziness, nausea and sleepiness. The image worsens between 8 and 36 hours after ingestion, when visual changes appear, intense headache, accelerated breathing and acidosis. In serious cases, intoxication evolves into mental confusion, coma and even cardiorespiratory arrest.

“This delay is typical and explains why some people have a good look initially and worsen the next day,” said the doctor.

According to Colaço, medical literature describes episodes of blindness with about 10 ml of pure methanol and risk of death of 30 ml. He underlines that any suspicion of intake should be treated as a medical emergency.

The expert described in detail that the damage to the body occurs because the liver transforms the methanol into tingle acid, a substance that intossates the optical nerve and the retina, as well as causing metabolic acidosis in the blood and brain. This combination explains the loss of vision and the relegation of the level of consciousness in many patients.

The treatment, according to Colaço, depends on time and includes the use of antidotes such as hunger or ethanol (when the first is not available), as well as hemodialysis in severe cases, the correction of acidosis and the administration of folic acid to accelerate the elimination of toxins.

He underlined that the damage can be partially reversible if the service is fast, but there is a risk of permanent sequels, such as visual loss due to optical neuropathy.

“The prognosis depends on the ingested dose, the time to start the treatment and gravity of the acidosis,” he concluded.

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.