Minister explains the difference between adulteration of spirits and beers

Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, explained on Thursday (2) that the technique used by criminals to adulterate distilled beverages is more difficult to apply to beers. He reiterated the recommendation that, at this time, the consumption of spirits should be avoided. ‘We are facing a crime involving colorless distilled products, where there are techniques for adulterating these products that are not present in the case of beer, which is a drink with a cap, gas, and is much harder to adulterate,’ Padilha pointed out. According to the minister, the old cases of ‘doctored’ beers involved production flaws. ‘In that case, you identify which batch of production. It is different from the adulteration process that is being identified now, which was probably done after production of these beverages. Someone adulterated these bottles. So, I want to emphasize this recommendation, especially for the spirits,’ added the minister. The Ministry of Health announced that the number of notifications for methanol poisoning in Brazil has risen to 59, including suspects and confirmed cases: 53 in São Paulo; 5 in Pernambuco; 1 in the Federal District. Padilha stated that 11 notifications have already had laboratory detection of methanol. The minister also mentioned that a stock of pharmaceutical ethanol has been established in federal university hospitals and the purchase of 4,300 ampoules to make them available to any reference center or health unit that does not have them. Methanol is an alcohol used industrially in solvents and other chemicals, and is highly dangerous when ingested. Initially, it attacks the liver, which transforms it into toxic substances that compromise the bone marrow, brain, and optic nerve, potentially causing blindness, coma, and even death. It can also cause lung and kidney failure. Pharmaceutical ethanol acts as an antidote, preventing methanol from being converted into formic acid, an even more dangerous substance. ‘We already have a stock of this product, and we are expanding this stock. We will reach the purchase of another 4,300 ampoules, which will be available to any state, any reference center, any health unit that does not have this pharmaceutical ethanol. Several states already purchase this product, right? They already have this product available. Eventually, states, state and municipal health secretariats that do not have it, can activate these stocks that are concentrated in university hospitals and we can immediately dispatch that,’ he stated. The minister also stated that guidance is being provided to municipal and state managers on how to access pharmaceutical ethanol. In addition, he mentioned that Anvisa has identified 604 pharmacies in Brazil that already produce pharmaceutical ethanol. ‘We will provide this information to state and municipal managers so that they can acquire it if necessary, if they do not have it in their stock, the reference center,’ he said. ‘Of these 604, Anvisa will establish one, two, or three major reference ones in all state capitals of the federation, pharmacies with the capacity for a quicker response to requests from municipal and state managers.’ The minister also emphasized the establishment of a ‘situation room’ in Brasília to monitor the increasing cases of methanol poisoning after the consumption of alcoholic beverages and coordinate the measures to be taken. The Ministry of Health states that the technical team of the situation room will be composed of representatives from the ministries of Health, Justice and Public Security, Agriculture and Livestock, the National Health Council (CNS), the National Council of Health Secretaries (CONASS), the National Council of Municipal Health Secretaries (CONASEMS), Anvisa, and the health secretariats of São Paulo and Pernambuco.