A 63-year-old engineer from Pará reports having been contaminated by methanol after consuming a dose of allegedly adulterated whiskey, purchased at a supermarket in Belém.
The case, which occurred about a month ago, is being investigated by consumer protection agencies and the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
According to the engineer, the drink, a one-liter bottle, was normally purchased at the supermarket. When he got home, he drank a shot of whiskey on the rocks, had dinner and went to sleep. The next morning, he started to feel sick.
As his symptoms worsened, he sought emergency care at a private hospital in the capital. Still during screening, the patient alerted the medical team about suspected methanol contamination, but states that the unit chose not to carry out the specific test.
Blood and urine samples were collected, and he only received medication to relieve his symptoms. After the results indicated that “there were no changes”, the engineer was released with instructions for rest and hydration.
Unsatisfied with the diagnosis and still feeling unwell, he decided, on the way home, to look for a private laboratory to carry out a specific test for methanol.
Seventy-two hours later, he received the positive result, accompanied by the control test, confirming the contamination. With the tests in hand, the consumer informed the supermarket about the suspected adulteration of the drink.
Initially, according to him, the establishment said it fully trusted the supplier, but stated that it would request tracking of the batch.
However, weeks after the complaint, the same whiskey continued to be sold on the shelves, for the same price, just with a label indicating the origin of the product, which, according to the engineer, ignored the seriousness of the complaint.
The man claims to have gathered a complete dossier to prove each stage of the case. The documents include the drink purchase invoice, supermarket parking receipt, hospital care protocols, tests carried out in the private unit, detailed laboratory results and a sealed bottle from the same batch as the suspected product.
A CNN requested clarification from Unimed Belém regarding the care provided to the patient and is awaiting feedback. Anvisa reported that it is investigating the case.
In a statement, Grupo Mais Barato informed that the Red Label whiskey that was purchased in one of its stores has already been removed from the establishment and that all appropriate measures have already been adopted.
The company states that it considers it strange that, even after 30 days of consumption, the bottle allegedly ingested was not presented for technical analysis by the competent authorities, which would be essential to verify possible contamination.
Even so, the group reported that the whiskeys mentioned were collected from the shelves and are available to the competent bodies.
The supermarket also declared that it had activated verification and tracking protocols with supplier Diageo.
The State Department of Justice (Seju), through the Consumer Protection and Defense Directorate (Procon Pará), reported that it is investigating the case together with other bodies that are part of the state consumer protection policy, given the suspicion of methanol poisoning.
The Civil Police reported that the Consumer Police Department (Decon) has not yet received the formal registration of the complaint, but, even so, the victim was summoned to give a statement as soon as possible.
Case history in Brazil
Cases of methanol contamination in Brazil gained prominence after alcoholic beverages were identified that were adulterated with the substance, which is highly toxic and prohibited for human consumption. Methanol can cause serious symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, blindness and even death.
Faced with the increase in notifications, the Ministry of Health established a Situation Room to monitor cases, coordinate health surveillance actions and guide states and municipalities.
With the reduction in new registrations, the Government of Brazil officially closed the Situation Room on methanol poisoning, maintaining, however, the warning for consumers to avoid drinks without recognized origin and report any suspected adulteration to the competent bodies.
