so i just watched a video of someone chug a bottle of rubbing alcohol that you would get from the pharmacy. its still alcohol though so like why is it bad. also what likely happened to the guy who chugged the bottle?
In: Chemistry
(This answer is for anyone finding this thread through a Google search.)
I see this question as a good opportunity to teach redditors what to do in case you suspect a poisoning. Let’s start with the assumption that we saw someone drink a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and we don’t know what to do.
Firstly, if you or anyone you know has ingested isopropyl alcohol or any other kind of alcohol not bought from a liquor store, immediately call your local poison control number, or emergency number, for advice. It could be life-threatening.
As mentioned above, your first go-to for poisonings should be your local poison control or emergency numbers, but you will also want to find the substance’s Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Here’s an MSDS for isopropyl alcohol: [https://rsc.aux.eng.ufl.edu/_files/msds/2/Isopropyl%20Alcohol.pdf](https://rsc.aux.eng.ufl.edu/_files/msds/2/Isopropyl%20Alcohol.pdf).
In there, you can find the most likely effects of various kinds of exposure to isopropyl alcohol and first aid instructions. In particular, it includes the LD50 doses for oral ingestion of isopropyl alcohol. An LD50 number aims to tell you approximately how much consumption results in a 50% chance of death. These numbers are almost always determined for animals like rats, since we obviously don’t do experiments with humans where we give them different doses of the substance and see how many die.
The MSDS says the LD50 in rats is as low as 90mL per kg of body weight. You can extrapolate that to estimate how much dose it would take to have a 50% chance of killing a human, by multiplying 90mL by their body weight in kg, but keep in mind that simple formula might not be valid because rats are different from humans, and a 50% chance of death is still unacceptable.
**The first aid instructions given are to give 2-4 cupfulls of milk or water, this will dilute the isopropyl alcohol and slow its absorption into the body until medical treatment can be sought. In this case, poison control will likely advise you to get the patient to the ER, depending on the amount consumed and their bodyweight.**
I’ll let others explain the chemical definition of what an “alcohol” is and why some are more dangerous than others, but I wanted to get this answer in here for anyone finding this through google! In particular, you should know your local poison control’s phone number and know to look for the MSDS.
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