Hi all
I have been under the illusion that Meths, AKA methylated spirit, is actually
methyl alcohol.
In New Zealand it certainly is not the case. 'Methylated' means denatured
(see dictionary) ethyl alcohol; in this case the denaturing of ethyl alcohol to
make the commercial solvent "undrinkable" due to the bitter taste (reputed)
of methyl alcohol which has been added at the rate of somewhere in the
region of 2 - 5 %.
In New Zealand there has been a steady harvest of alcoholics who have died
through drinking the denatured alcohol.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0701/S00009.htm
http://www.ermanz.govt.nz/hs/reassessment/grounds.html
ERMA New Zealand intend to have Bitrex (google) to whey ethanol to make
it unpalatable (denature it). Bitrex is apparently the most bitter substance
known. (When I was a kid, parents used bitter aloes to prevent kids chewing
their finger-nails).
This is fairly recent news - as in the last couple of months..
Brian
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