[Gasification] Methanol toxicity

[Thomas Reed]

Dear Glick and All:

There is a lot of misinformation about methanol toxicity around, partly 
because the oil companies were dedicated to making sure it didn't 
compete with petroleum starting with our work in 1973.  (See details at 
http://www.woodgas.com/methanol.htm).
------------------------------------------------------------------------

According to my Merck handbook the usual fatal dose for *methanol *is 
100-250 ml, but less than 30 ml has been reported.  On *ethyl alcohol* 
they report "Nausea, vomiting, flushing, mental excitement or 
depression, drowsiness, impaired perception, incoordination, stupor, 
coma, death may occur."  I believe there are over 100,000 deaths 
attributed to ethanol in the US each year, and for methanol less than 10 
worldwide, even though methanol production exceeds ethanol (?).   
(Methanol is also an intermediate for plastics, etc.)

Shortly after I began my "methanol as an additive and the eventual 
replacement for gasoline" campaign in 1973 I got good advice on the 
toxicology from a Canadian physician. 

Most methyl alcohol toxic events were caused by confusing it with ethyl 
alcohol, so we decided that "methanol" was a better name than "methyl 
alcohol" or "wood alcohol".  Painters were famous for drinking a wide 
variety of alcohols and were paraticularly susceptible around the turn 
of the century.  Sailors likewise. 

Many liquors can contain methanol and I remember that Schlivovitz had 4%. 

The mechanism of methanol poisoning is that the ethanol dehydrogenaze in 
your stomach thinks it is ethanol and decomposes it to formic acid, 
definitely stronger than acetic acid and can cause blindness and death.  
A second mechanism is that methanol is not as intoxicating as ethanol, 
and so a dedicated drunk will keep on drinking it, waiting for bliss, 
rather than oblivion.  The recommended antidote for accidentally 
drinking methanol is a dose of whiskey.  This gives the dehydrogenaze 
the proper food to work on and the methanol passes through with less harm. 

The toxicity of methanol is a blessing in disguise.  Ethanol is easily 
diverted into the home brew beverage category.  Methanol won't be.  
Methanol is very biodegradable in the environment.  It is much less 
toxic than gasoline. 

So, let's get on with methanol as the simplest replacement for gasoline 
and don't even think about it as a beverage. 

Your realistic fuel chemist,

TOM REED   The Biomass Energy Foundation


Dick Glick wrote:
> Hello All --
> I don't know how I lived through 60 years in the chemistry lab -- all 
> those horrible solvents like methanol, benzene, toluene, etc -- but 
> times have changed and now they're killers -- ???
>
> Best, Dick
> www.CorpFutRes.com
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Harmon Seaver" <hseaver at gmail.com>
> To: "Gasification" <GASIFICATION at listserv.repp.org>; 
> <bioconversion at listserv.repp.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 9:23 AM
> Subject: Re: County wide methanol project -- was: Re: [Gasification] 
> Re:Gasification Digest, Vol 23, Issue 28
>
>
>> Just do a google on methanol toxicity. For instance:
>>
>> "Lethal doses are thought to range from 30-240 mL; the minimum lethal
>> dose is believed to be 1 g/kg body weight."
>>
>> http://www.emedicine.com/NEURO/topic217.htm
>>
>>   Methanol is very readily absorbed thru the skin, sub-lethal doses
>> cause damage to the nervous system and eyes.
>>
>>
>>
>> On 6/26/06, Arnt Karlsen <arnt at c2i.net> wrote:
>>> On Mon, 26 Jun 2006 19:48:22 -0500, Harmon wrote in message
>>> <22acb24d0606261748i7c237c34v507d837d9d18cd5a at mail.gmail.com>:
>>>
>>> >    This conversation really belongs on the bioconversion list rather
>>> > than gasification.
>>>
>>> ..aye.
>>>
>>> > But have you given any thought to just how toxic methanol is? 
>>> Spill it
>>> > on your hand while refueling and you probably won't survive the
>>> > experience.
>>>
>>> ..maybe I'm on long term bonus time, but some aero modellers have 
>>> messed
>>> around with methanol and castor oil for decades.  We do however worry
>>> about epoxy glues and paints, there is an individual and appearantly
>>> accumulating tolerance limit, some oldtimers can mess around for 
>>> decades
>>> with no visible effects while a few unfortunate souls lose their health
>>> building their first model.
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> ..med vennlig hilsen = with Kind Regards from Arnt... ;o)
>>> ...with a number of polar bear hunters in his ancestry...
>>>   Scenarios always come in sets of three:
>>>   best case, worst case, and just in case.
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> Gasification at listserv.repp.org
>>> http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification
>>> http://www.repp.org/discussiongroups/resources/gasification
>>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Harmon Seaver
>> _______________________________________________
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>> http://www.repp.org/discussiongroups/resources/gasification 
>
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