Explained | How methanol poisoning kills Premium
The Hindu
Twenty-two people have died after consuming spurious liquor in two Tamil Nadu districts. The police have since found that they consumed industrial grade methanol, a rarely-consumed poisonous with adverse consequences for individuals and society.
The story so far: As of 10 pm on May 16, as many as 22 people had died after consuming spurious liquor in Chengalpattu and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu while 30 others were still being treated at hospitals. The incidents occurred late last week, barely a month after the state government said that it had brought such deaths under control. They are also tinged with an element of surprise because liquor sales in Tamil Nadu are wholly controlled by the state, with more than 5,300 outlets. Its government is currently in the process of closing 500 outlets.
Liquor is differentiated by its alcohol content – from the 5% or so of beer to the 12% or so of wine to the 40% or so of distilled spirits (all by volume). In the beverages consumed for recreational purposes, the alcohol in question is almost always ethanol. Technically, in this context, ethanol is a psychoactive drug that, in low doses, reduces the level of neurotransmission in the body, leading to its typical intoxicating effects.
Contrary to popular belief, the World Health Organization has found that “no level of [its] consumption is safe for our health”. Long-term use leads to dependence, heightens the risk of some cancers and heart disease, and may eventually cause death.
Ethanol (C 2H 5OH) is one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms and one more carbon atom; the second carbon atom is also bonded to two hydrogen atoms and the hydroxyl group, a.k.a. the ion OH –. Inside the body, it is metabolised in the liver and the stomach by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes to acetaldehyde. Then, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzymes transform the acetaldehyde into acetate.
The adverse effects of alcohol consumption, from the hangover to a cancer, are due to acetaldehyde.
Spurious liquor is characterised by the liquid mixture containing methanol as well.
The police have thus far determined that the spurious liquor in both the Chengalpattu and the Villupuram incidents arose from the same source, and that arrack sellers had purchased industrial-grade methanol from factories and had sold it to the victims. (Arrack is distilled from the fermented sap of the palm tree.)
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