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Of
the 41 people most seriously
intoxicated, 20 have already
died, said the Health
Ministry.
/ A.M. Costa Rica wire
services photo.
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Most victims of
death from liquor adulterated with
methanol were chronic alcoholics,
say specialists
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
According to the most recent
report from the Ministry of
Health, 20 deaths were linked to
methanol-poisoned liquor. Most of
the deceased were chronic
alcoholics and one was identified
as homeless, said the ministry.
Of the 41 people most seriously
intoxicated, 20 have already died,
said the Health Ministry.
All of the 20 dead are over 30
years old, 15 men and 5 women.
There are 18 Costa Ricans, one
Nicaraguan and another person
whose nationality has not been
determined because he was
homeless, according to the
ministry.
So far there have been no reports
of foreign tourists being affected
by the Costa Rican wave of deaths
and illnesses. The main suspects
are six brands of guaro, a
low-cost alcohol. The sale of the
brands have been prohibited, and
bottles on store shelves are being
confiscated.
The Fiscal Control Police reported
Thursday the confiscation of
20,806 bottles of this product,
and Tuesday 17,784 more bottles
were seized from stores located
throughout the nation. Police said
Tuesday afternoon that the sweep
was continuing and that they
expected more liquor will be
seized in the next few hours.
The prohibited alcohol bears the
labels Guaro Montano, Baron Rojo
Aguardiente, Timbuka Aguardiente,
Molotov Aguardiente, Guaro Gran
Apache and Aguardiente Estrella
Roja.
Methanol, also known as methyl
alcohol, originally was produced
chiefly by the distillation of
wood, hence the name wood alcohol.
Sometimes methanol is used by
bootleggers who are trying to
produce ethanol, the type of
alcohol usually found in beer,
wine, and liquor.
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 is
metabolized to formic acid that
can cause blindness in those who
drink it as well as frequent
deaths.
Because of its toxic properties,
methanol is 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.
Due to the difficulty for people
to distinguish between the
original product and the fake, the
specialists make the following
recommendations:
- Do not consume or buy those
brands until the alert is lifted.
- The sale of those liquor bands
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 keep
asking readers to share this alert
among their contacts.
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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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