Methanol or wood alcohol is known as one of the dangerous poison if someone consume it accidently. Methanol convert into formaldehyde and formic acid as a product of biotrasformation. Formic acid in body can damage CNS and retina completely. Accidental consumption of methanol in rural areas of India is most common. Because some people or mafia try to make alcohol at home by conventional method to sell it in market illegally and the poor methodology eventually leads to produce methanol instead of ethanol. And unfortunately it is very hard to detect it because both look and smell same. People of rural areas don't know about first aid for victims and hospitals are usually situated far away from site. In methanol poisoning patients need help as immediate as possible otherwise his or her eyes may damage.
Very few people know that antidote of methanol poisoning is ethanol itself. Both are alcohol in nature so nobody dare to give it to patient. But fact is that ethanol will stop producing forming acid in body because it has high affinity to enzyme Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH).
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