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. ---------- 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 [log in to unmask]