- At least 38 people had died after consuming spurious liquor in Tamil Nadu. 82 others were receiving treatment in hospitals.
- This tragedy echoes a similar incident a year ago in Tamil Nadu, where liquor sales are state-controlled through approximately 5,000 outlets.
- Alcohol content varies in different liquors: about 5% in beer, 12% in wine, and 40% in distilled spirits.
- The primary alcohol in recreational beverages is ethanol, a psychoactive drug that reduces neurotransmission, causing intoxication.
- Ethanol (C2H5OH) is metabolized in the liver and stomach into acetaldehyde and then acetate, with adverse effects attributed to acetaldehyde.
- Spurious liquor often contains methanol, a toxic substance.
| Methanol Poisoning | Treatment for Methanol Poisoning |
| Methanol (CH3OH) is toxic and used in industrial applications like producing acetic acid, formaldehyde, and as antifreeze. In Tamil Nadu, its manufacture, trade, storage, and sale require licenses. Metabolized into formaldehyde and formic acid. Causes metabolic acidosis, optic neuropathy, cerebral edema, haemorrhage, and death. Methanol poisoning can cause severe damage within 18-24 hours, affecting the optic nerve, kidneys, heart, and brain. Symptoms may be delayed if ethanol is also consumed. | Administer ethanol to compete with methanol for ADH enzymes. Use fomepizole, an antidote that slows ADH enzyme action. Dialysis. Folinic acid helps break down formic acid. Both fomepizole and folinic acid are on the WHO’s list of essential medicines. |
- The World Health Organization states no level of alcohol consumption is safe, with long-term use leading to dependence, cancer, heart disease, and potentially death.
Dig Deeper: Read about the comparison between Ethanol and Methanol.
