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Ministry of Health closes stores for selling liquor adulterated with methanol By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The Ministry of Health announced the closure of several stores where prohibited alcohol was being sold. The special operation is related to the sanitary alert over liquor contaminated with methanol. According to the Ministry, Wednesday a supermarket and a warehouse, both located in Upala* in the Province of Alajuela, were closed. "In those stores, a total of 1,125 bottles of liquor for sale were found," said the ministry in its statement. Previously, other stores had already been closed, two in San José downtown*, one in Barrio Cuba*, and one in Curridabat*. In those raids 791 bottles that were for sale were seized. On Tuesday a company in charge of distributed the liquor in the city of Turrucares*, also in the Province of Alajuela, was closed. "So far, 40,776 bottles of liquor have been seized," said the ministry in its statement. The ministry confirmed Wednesday that there have been 23 deaths linked to eight brands of liquors contaminated with methanol. Authorities report 55 people with possible cases of methanol poisoning had been admitted to area hospitals. Of those 17 men and six women died. There are 20 Costa Ricans, one Nicaraguan, and two-person whose nationality has not been determined because they were homeless, according to the ministry. So far, there have been no reports of foreign tourists being affected by the wave of deaths and illnesses. The alert is for the sales of bottled liquor of the following brands: Gran Apache, Estrella Roja, Montano, Baron Rojo, Timbuka, Molotov, Cuerazo and Sacheto. "According to laboratory sample results, those brands were tainted with methanol," said the ministry in its statement. The ministry issued an alert July 5 over methanol contamination in Montano liquor. With additional research, the specialists found the rest of the brands listed above, which are also tainted with methanol. According to specialists, some of these brands have permits for sale, however "it is suspected that counterfeit products of these brands are in the market," said the ministry in its statement. Given the impossibility of distinguishing between original and fake liquors, and using the precautionary principle, an order to prohibit the sale or consumption of any of these liquors announced. "The people or companies that are producing or selling these liquors are exposed to be sanctioned administratively and criminally," said the ministry in its statement. Thursday officials of the ministry together with the Fiscal Control Police, raided a company in Coronado* in the Province of San José. The firm distributes Aguardiente Estrella Roja, one of the brands of which the ministry had previously issued an alert. Within the warehouse, police and ministry officials said they found several bottles of wine that were not legally registered for distribution in the country. The company's sanitary permit had expired, they said. For those reasons, bottles of liquor were confiscated and samples were sent to laboratories for analysis, health officials reported. The ministry said that any store, bar, restaurant, supermarket or any outlet which sells, stocks or uses those liquors, in any way would be closed. Police announced that officers will continue with more liquor seizures. Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, originally was produced chiefly by the distillation of wood, hence the name wood alcohol. Sometimes methanol is created accidentally by bootleggers who are trying to produce ethanol, the type of alcohol usually found in beer, wine, and liquor. Sometimes methanol is added to ethanol to boost its effect. Methanol is toxic in two ways. First, methanol can be fatal due to effects on the central nervous system, acting as a depressant in the same manner as ethanol poisoning. Second, it metabolizes to form an acid that can cause blindness in those who drink it, as well as frequent deaths. Because of its toxic properties, methanol was frequently used as a denaturant additive for ethanol manufactured for industrial uses to prevent the liquid from being used for drinking. Symptoms can develop almost immediately after having drunk the liquor. They are rapid drunkenness, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, severe headache and lack of coordination. Specialists make the following recommendations: - Do not consume or buy the aforementioned brands until the alert is lifted. - The sale of those brands is forbidden until the alert is lifted. - If any person detects the sale of this product in any store, he or she must report the sale of this product to the local police. Complaints can also be made by phone (506) 2233-2854. The A.M. Costa Rica team continues to ask readers to share this alert among their contacts. ----------------------------- Do you know if these brands of liquor are being sold in your community? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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