María Elisa Álvarez Obaya

María Elisa Álvarez Obaya (12 January 1934 – 26 February 2010) was a Spanish pharmacist known for identifying the origin of a mass poisoning case.

Biography María Elisa Álvarez Obaya was born in Villaviciosa, Asturias on 12 January 1934. She studied pharmacy at the University of Santiago de Compostela and the University of Barcelona, graduating in 1961.

After receiving her degree, she moved to Haría, Lanzarote, where she ran a pharmacy. In January 1962 she became the municipal pharmaceutical inspector.

Later, she became a researcher in the laboratories of the pharmaceutical inspector of Las Palmas.

Methanol poisoning case

In 1963, when she had been Haría's municipal pharmaceutical inspector for one year, Álvarez uncovered an infamous poisoning case. After three Lanzarote residents died and two suddenly went blind, she determined that all had recently consumed alcoholic drinks from a particular winery. She ordered all of the company's products seized from local shops and bars. By analyzing the contents of bottles, carafes, and barrels in her pharmacy's small laboratory, she discovered that the patients had been victims of methanol toxicity. She sent samples to the Las Palmas Health Department, which confirmed her findings.

In 2016 the Haría City Council dedicated a plaque in her honor.