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 Police investigating Brazilian craft brewer Backer found traces of
diethylene glycol (DEG), a sweet-tasting solvent, in a beer vat used
at the brewery in Minas Gerais state as well as in bottles of the
brewer's Belorizontina lager.
The Ministry of Agriculture said all products from the brewery had
been recalled and production suspended.
The ministry said in a statement that its own analysis had found the
toxic molecules in the water tank used by the brewery, rendering the
contamination "systemic, or in other words, present in the Backer
production process."
The ministry called the contamination "exceptional." It said
investigators were working with three hypotheses: sabotage, leakage,
and the misuse of a related chemical known as monoethylene glycol.
Backer said it does not use the diethylene glycol in its production
process, but does use monoethylene glycol, which is less toxic.
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Backer, in a statement posted on its website, said it was
"cooperating fully with the investigations" as well as performing
its own internal probe.
Backer has won international prizes and its beer is widely available
in Brazil.
There have been 18 cases of reported DEG poisoning, police said in
an emailed statement, with four of the cases confirmed. Cases have
been reported since the beginning of January
One of the deaths was confirmed to have resulted from poisoning by
DEG, while an autopsy is being performed to confirm the second.
(Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and
Leslie Adler)
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