Consumption and Toxicity
See also: Harm reductionDespite its poisonous nature, denatured alcohol is sometimes consumed as a surrogate alcohol, which can result in blindness or death if the denatured alcohol contains methanol. This happened during Prohibition, when the U.S. government used methanol in industrial alcohols manufactured in the United States. To help prevent this, denatonium is often added to give the substance an extremely bitter flavor. Substances such as pyridine help to give the mixture an unpleasant odor, and emetic (vomiting) agents such as syrup of ipecac may also be included.
Read more about this topic: Methylated Spirit
Famous quotes containing the word consumption:
“The basis on which good repute in any highly organized industrial community ultimately rests is pecuniary strength; and the means of showing pecuniary strength, and so of gaining or retaining a good name, are leisure and a conspicuous consumption of goods.”
—Thorstein Veblen (1857–1929)