3 ms·
No, bad thing. Because this didn't exist in the 20's, the government started adding poison to alcohol not intended for drinking -- because people were drinking
by jtheory 14y ago
No, bad thing.
Because this didn't exist in the 20's, the government started adding poison to alcohol not intended for drinking -- because people were drinking it, predictably, and bootleggers were reselling it to be consumed -- and killed thousands of people in the process.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2010/02/the_chemists_war.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_exa...
Denatured alcohol still does nasty things to people who are ignorant and/or desperate enough to try not-for-consumption alcohol... fortunately it's not so deadly nowadays (I think?).
- slurgfest 14y agoIf something is labeled "do not drink this - poisonous" then whose fault is it that you drink it?
- jtheory 14y agoBlame doesn't rest in one location only, does it? Obviously the people drinking alcohol in liquids not meant for consumption aren't in normal rational states of mind; but yes, they're doing something really stupid. But suppose when you're "denaturing" the alcohol in your product, you have the choice to use a substance that will make it taste very bad and cause vomiting; or a substance that will make people die, or at least go blind. Which should you choose? Next, suppose that the alcohol was stolen and resold by a bootlegger and thus has no warning (beyond the government's warnings that buying illegal alcohol is dangerous, which had already been going on for some time).
- paul_f 14y agoThis is still done today. Acetaminophen s added to Vicodin specifically to make it destroy your liver if you take too much. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/archevore/201103/tylenol-and-the-war-drugs http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/archevore/201103/tylenol...