Brazil Steps Up Methanol Poisoning Response as PF Raids Target Suspected Clandestine Supply

Overview

• The Health Ministry reports 59 national notifications with 11 laboratory confirmations and one confirmed death, with additional fatalities under investigation in São Paulo and Pernambuco plus one suspected case in the Federal District.
• In São Paulo, authorities confirm 11 cases and probe 41 more, interdict seven establishments in the capital and metro area, suspend registrations, and tally 1,002 bottles seized including a lot linked between Barueri and M'Boi Mirim.
• Federal Police and the Agriculture Ministry inspect a depot in Embu das Artes and a suspected clandestine factory in Pilar do Sul, collecting samples for technical analysis to verify prohibited components and concentrations.
• The Health Ministry activates a crisis center, distributes 4,300 ampoules of pharmaceutical ethanol, launches an emergency purchase of 5,000 treatments, and requests international supplies of fomepizole.
• Police in Brasília arrest a 53-year-old who admitted rebottling cheap mixtures under known labels for resale, as consumer caution reshapes bar sales with voluntary suspensions of distilled drinks in some venues.