The Damage Caused By Drinking Methanol

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol and wood alcohol, is a primary alcohol with the chemical formula CH₃OH. It is a highly toxic alcohol commonly found in a number of commercial products such as automobile windshield washer solvent, gas line antifreeze, copy machine fluid, fuel for small stoves, and paint strippers and used as industrial solvent.

Methanol, the simplest of all alcohols, is toxic to humans.

In developing countries like India, methanol is a common adulterant in country liquor which increases the chance of accidental poisoning enormously.

Methanol could initiate reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation directly via a free radical intermediate, or possibly indirectly through mechanisms like the activation and/or enhancement of ROS-producing NADPH oxidases, which has been reported for ethanol (Dong et al., 2010). [1]. It is associated with mitochondrial damage and increased microsomal proliferation resulting in increased production of oxygen radicals [2].

These factors together with the excess of formaldehyde, formed during acute intoxication, cause significant increases in lipid peroxidation. Products of lipid peroxidation are very harmful to cells ultimately causing their death and can act as second messengers of a complex chain reaction [3].

It is well known to cause temporary blindness.

Reference

Dong, J., Sulik, K.K., Chen, S.Y. (2010) The role of NOX enzymes in ethanol-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in mouse embryos. Toxicol Lett. 2010 Mar 1; 193(1) pp. 94-100. PMID: 20026259 PMCID: PMC2822117 doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2009.12.012.