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The Dangers Of Surrogate Alcohol

Researchers in this study highlighted a particular case in the Russian town of Izhevsk in which surrogate alcohol consumption was the underlying cause of death in 30% of men aged 25 to 54.

Surrogate alcohol is homemade beverages and non-beverage alcohol not intended for consumption, such as aftershaves, antifreeze, and the like. Surrogate alcohol is defined as both non-beverage alcohol and illegally produced or homemade alcohol. There is little research on diseases and mortality rates due to the consumption of these products.

Surrogate alcohol use is common in many countries. In the U.S., “moonshine” has historically been produced in automobile radiators or copper tubes sealed with solder. Leaching of lead from these methods can result in lead poisoning. Other chemicals such as arsenic, copper, and zinc have also been found in significant quantities in homemade alcoholic beverages. Illegally produced beverages in the U.S. and other countries have been found to contain toxic levels of methanol and volatile substances. The most common form of toxicity associated with surrogate alcohol is accidental poisoning. Poisoning can occur slowly over time with lead toxicity or acutely with compounds like methanol. Methanol occurs naturally in legally produced alcohol without causing harm. However, illicit drinks and non-beverage substances such as chemicals for photocopy machines contain high levels of methanol, which can cause severe illness and death.

Despite improvement in treatment, methanol poisoning still has a high mortality rate. In the U.S. between 1993 and 1998, 13,524 cases of poisoning were attributed to methanol, and windshield wiper fluid was involved in 61% of the cases. Ingestion of high levels of methanol leads to organ damage, damage to the central nervous system, and liver, retinal, and renal damage. High levels of lead have been linked to damage of the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, and the hematopoietic (blood), renal, and gastrointestinal systems.

Researchers recommend prevention strategies to prevent consumption of surrogate alcohol, including the global abolition of methanol in “denatured” alcohol. Bittering agents that make non-beverage alcohol such as medicinal alcohol and technical/automobile products undrinkable are preferable as only low amounts are necessary to render a product undrinkable. The sale of large container sizes could also be regulated globally to curb the consumption of medicinal alcohol.

Further research is needed to better understand who buys surrogate alcohol, under what circumstances, and for what reasons.

(Lachenmeier, DW, Rehm, J, Gmel, G: Surrogate alcohol: What do we know and where do we go? Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31: 1613–1624, 2007.)

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