Contaminated alcohol has killed at least 19 people in Costa Rica since June
Authorities in Costa Rica are sounding the alarm about tainted alcohol.
Since the beginning of June, at least 19 people — 14 men and five women — have died in the country after ingesting alcohol with toxic levels of methanol, Costa Rica's National Health Ministry said. The victims were between the ages of 32 and 72.
Methanol poisoning can cause dizziness, headaches, confusion, and drowsiness, and is often linked to counterfeit alcohol. The Costa Rican government has confiscated approximately 30,000 bottles of alcohol believed to have been tainted.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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