At least 19 people have died since early June after drinking alcohol tainted with methanol in Costa Rica, prompting a national alert and widening the focus on the problem of bootleg liquor in Latin America.
The Costa Rican Health Ministry said in a preliminary report on Friday it counted 14 men and five women, ranging in age from 32 to 72, who’ve died after drinking adulterated liquor.
“The Ministry of Health continues to carry out operations throughout the national territory in order to reduce the exposure of consumers to adulterated products,” the ministry said.
According to the World Health Organization, a trace amount of methanol is common in fermented drinks, but, in large quantities, it can make someone very sick. Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil, an associate professor at the New York University School of Medicine, told “FOX & Friends First” on Monday that methanol is typically used in wiper fluid to clean windshields and solids.
“The problem with methanol is that it’s so much more dangerous than alcohol,” she said. “It can make you blind, it can damage your kidneys and you might not even realize this at first and then you can die.”
Nampiaparampil said just 30 milliliters — about two-thirds of a shot glass — is enough to cause permanent blindness.
“That’s the danger,” she told “FOX & Friends First” “Let’s say you drink too much alcohol, you might know pretty much in a couple hours that you’re sick. Methanol you might not realize it right away, it can happen days later.”
Nampiaparampil said issues develop when the liver tries to get rid of methanol and converts it into something “that is more dangerous.”
“So you can have headache, abdominal pain, all these things but unless you thought you had some other issues you might just think you’re sick, you’re on vacation or you ate something wrong,” she said.
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