How can moonshine cause blindness?
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Drinking alcohol is specifically ethyl alcohol. Many other chemicals exist which are alcohols.
Fermentation tends to produce both ethyl and methyl alcohols. Without good quality control, it can contaminate the distillate. Methyl alcohol is a toxin which targets nerves. and often starts with the optic nerve. Permanent blindness is the result.
Drinking alcohol is specifically ethyl alcohol. Many other chemicals exist which are alcohols.
Fermentation tends to produce both ethyl and methyl alcohols. Without good quality control, it can contaminate the distillate. Methyl alcohol is a toxin which targets nerves. and often starts with the optic nerve. Permanent blindness is the result.
Drinking alcohol is specifically ethyl alcohol. Many other chemicals exist which are alcohols.
Fermentation tends to produce both ethyl and methyl alcohols. Without good quality control, it can contaminate the distillate. Methyl alcohol is a toxin which targets nerves. and often starts with the optic nerve. Permanent blindness is the result.
Alcohol brewing creates a small fraction of methanol which is another chemical different from ethanol that is normally consumed. There are many different alcohols. Rubbing alcohol is yet another. Methanol is metabolized by the liver into formic acid, which is highly toxic. Ethanol becomes acetaldehyde and acetate, which are less harmful. I believe they have to remove the methanol fraction first because it boils at a lower temperature and discard it.
Alcohol brewing creates a small fraction of methanol which is another chemical different from ethanol that is normally consumed. There are many different alcohols. Rubbing alcohol is yet another. Methanol is metabolized by the liver into formic acid, which is highly toxic. Ethanol becomes acetaldehyde and acetate, which are less harmful. I believe they have to remove the methanol fraction first because it boils at a lower temperature and discard it.
There are two relevant products of fermentation you get out of making moonshine (or any alcohol, for that matter), ethanol and methanol. Ethanol is what gets you drunk, methanol is what gets you blind.
They don’t have quite the same properties as each other so methanol tends to be distilled off first. As a result, when you’re distilling alcohol it’s a good idea to discard the first bit of alcohol since that’ll be higher in methanol content. But the more you discard the less booze you end up with.
So when people are making moonshine, either as a self-made liquor or as a bootleg product sold illegally, they don’t tend to be as … robust about discarding the methanol-rich part of the distillation.
Hence, moonshine causes blindness.
There are two relevant products of fermentation you get out of making moonshine (or any alcohol, for that matter), ethanol and methanol. Ethanol is what gets you drunk, methanol is what gets you blind.
They don’t have quite the same properties as each other so methanol tends to be distilled off first. As a result, when you’re distilling alcohol it’s a good idea to discard the first bit of alcohol since that’ll be higher in methanol content. But the more you discard the less booze you end up with.
So when people are making moonshine, either as a self-made liquor or as a bootleg product sold illegally, they don’t tend to be as … robust about discarding the methanol-rich part of the distillation.
Hence, moonshine causes blindness.
Alcohol brewing creates a small fraction of methanol which is another chemical different from ethanol that is normally consumed. There are many different alcohols. Rubbing alcohol is yet another. Methanol is metabolized by the liver into formic acid, which is highly toxic. Ethanol becomes acetaldehyde and acetate, which are less harmful. I believe they have to remove the methanol fraction first because it boils at a lower temperature and discard it.
When alcohol is created from various carbohydrates, it actually creates various alcohols. One is the one known for drinking: [ethanol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol). The rest is chemically poisonous to humans, such as [methanol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanol) (aka wood alcohol or denatured alcohol), which can cause blindness as part of its poisoning.
In a proper set up, these different chemicals can be safely distilled and separated. They have different boiling points, so if the mixture is boiling at a certain temperature then it is safe to assume the distilled chemicals matches that boiling point. But in a moonshine set up, where there’s literally no government oversight enforcing safety inspections, they can be mixed together on accident. Further, if the brewers don’t care about their buyer’s health, they can even allow them to mix together due to greed; the extra volume the methanol would take up is an extra bottle or more of moonshine sold.
When alcohol is created from various carbohydrates, it actually creates various alcohols. One is the one known for drinking: [ethanol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol). The rest is chemically poisonous to humans, such as [methanol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanol) (aka wood alcohol or denatured alcohol), which can cause blindness as part of its poisoning.
In a proper set up, these different chemicals can be safely distilled and separated. They have different boiling points, so if the mixture is boiling at a certain temperature then it is safe to assume the distilled chemicals matches that boiling point. But in a moonshine set up, where there’s literally no government oversight enforcing safety inspections, they can be mixed together on accident. Further, if the brewers don’t care about their buyer’s health, they can even allow them to mix together due to greed; the extra volume the methanol would take up is an extra bottle or more of moonshine sold.
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