What in the World
What in the World
Why are people dying from fake alcohol in Brazil?
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21 October 2025
9 minutes
Available for over a year
Methanol poisoning has surged in Brazil, mostly around São Paulo. At least three people have died, including a 30-year-old woman. Hundreds more have been poisoned. Methanol is a type of alcohol commonly found in cleaning products, fuel and antifreeze. It is highly poisonous, even in small amounts, and easily goes undetected - which makes it very dangerous.
BBC Brasil’s Luiz Fernando Toledo has been investigating how Brazil’s methanol poisoning crisis started, and why it’s so widespread. He joins us to talk through his findings. Plus, a few young women in Brazil share why they’ve stopped drinking, and even socialising, all together.
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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Mora Morrison and Benita Barden
Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde
