In June 2024, 58 people succumbed to toxic hooch in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi. The illicit liquor was laced with poisonous methanol, which caused the deaths as per post-mortem reports.
- Ethanol is legal liquor for consumption. It is produced biologically whereas methanol is produced from fuels such as coal in India.
- Methanol, also a form of alcohol, is added to moonshine to increase its strength. It is a potent poison, and even in very small quantities, can cause liver failure, blindness, and death.
- Methanol is a low carbon hydrogen carrier fuel produced from high ash coal, agricultural residue, CO2 from thermal power plants and natural gas.
- While ethanol can be made edible, methanol is poison. Even very low concentrations of methanol can be toxic, often fatal.
- However, it is needed to produce a range of products that are highly useful. Paints, for instance, can’t be produced without methanol.
- Just like ethanol, methanol is a highly controlled substance.
- Most of the hooch tragedies in India occur due to methanol contamination in liquor. Methanol can replace petrol and diesel fuels in the transport sector.
