Hi Fred...
Checked the ETOH on your behalf (etoh.niaaa.nih.gov) and found the
following. You may want to check the PubMed database too.
Ron
Aronson-S-M. Lead and the demon rum in colonial America. Rhode Island
Medical Journal, 66(1):37-40, 1983. The author describes the sources and
uses of lead throughout antiquity, and discusses lead poisoning associated
with the use of alcoholic beverages in colonial America. 14 Ref.
Lacy-R; Winternitz-W-W. Moonshine consumption in West Alabama. Alabama
Journal of Medical Sciences, 21(4):364-365, 1984. Records of 141 patients
admitted to a regional hospital with a diagnosis of alcoholism were
reviewed for the presence of lead poisoning as a result of drinking
moonshine whiskey. Thirteen patients gave a history of moonshine
consumption, and five of these showed evidence of lead poisoning. Five
others were not evaluated. Eight additional cases of lead poisoning were
found in patients with no history of moonshine consumption. Prospective
studies are recommended to define the population at risk of lead poisoning
from the consumption of moonshine. 8 Ref.
Havelda-C-J; Sohi-G-S; Richardson-C-E. Evaluation of lead, zinc, and copper
excretion in chronic moonshine drinkers. Southern Medical Journal, 73(5):
710-715, 1980. The usefulness of various routine tests for detecting an
increased body lead load was assessed in 20 moonshine (illicit whisky)
drinkers (3 women), who had consumed moonshine regularly for at least 3
years and were hospitalized with lead-or alcohol-related diseases. The
whole-body lead value, urinary
delta-aminolevulinate and coproporphyrin excretion, the presence of
basophilic stippling, the whole-blood osmotic fragility test and 24-hr
urinary lead excretion
before and after sodium calcium edetate (edta) mobilization test were
compared. Only the edta test was a sensitive indicator of an excessive body
burden. Lead
excretion was normal in all patients before edta mobilization (2-79
micro-g/24 hr), but 7 patients reached levels above 650 micro-g/24 hr after
edta ( accepted toxic range), and 4 excreted 350-650 micro-g/24 hr.
Base-line urinary zinc excretion was elevated in 6 of 13 and elevated
urinary zinc excretion after edta occurred in 15 of 16 patients (mean 9
mg/24 hr), but only 5 of these had high lead excretion. Base-line copper
excretion, which was elevated in 1 and border-line in 2 of 6 patients was
generally not altered by edta. There were no correlations between urinary
lead, copper and zinc excretion.
MUSTAJOKI-P. LYIJYMYRKYTYS PONTIKASTA (LEAD POISONING FROM ILLICIT
ALCOHOL). DUODECIM, 94: 993-996, 1978. LEAD POISONING WAS DIAGNOSED IN A
31-YEAR-OLD MAN WITH AN 8-YEAR HISTORY OF ABDOMINAL COLICS AND ANEMIA; THE
SOURCE OF THE LEAD WAS ILLICIT ALCOHOL MANUFACTURED USING AN AUTOMOBILE
RADIATOR AND HEATER AS CONDENSERS. A SAMPLE OF ALCOHOL DISTILLED THROUGH
THE LATTER CONTAINED 15.2 MG OF LEAD PER LITER.
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From: Frederick H. Smith <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Alcohol and lead contamination
Date: Monday, January 29, 2001 5:33 AM
Could someone please tell me if lead-contaminated spirits can kill
immediately or is death only the result of long-term exposure? Also, I
would appreciate references to articles dealing specifically with the
lethal effects of illicit spirits (toxins, lead, "signatures" ingredients).
I seem to recall a recent case in Kenya.
Thank you, Fred Smith
Frederick H. Smith
University of Florida
Department of Anthropology
1116 Turlington Hall
Gainesville, Fl 32611
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