What causes roach in the Gulf of Finland. Bad catch

Ethyl alcohol or ethanol is a psychoactive substance, a powerful depressant that is used as a disinfectant in medicine, a solvent in industry, an active additive in fuel, and ingestion for a cheering effect. This solution is obtained by fermenting organic products, to which yeast is added, and then subjected to a distillation procedure. This creates a solution with an ethanol content of not more than 15%. To obtain a concentrate, other methods of alcoholic fermentation are used, in which the final product contains a minimum amount of water.

Methyl or monohydric alcohol is deadly to the human body, designed for industrial use (solvent) and the creation of formaldehyde. The use of such a product is fatal to humans, because. the substance has an effect of oppression on the central nervous system and the retina of the eyes. If a person manages to survive after drinking a drink containing methyl alcohol, in most cases he will remain blind. The substance is obtained by processing wood, formic acid and lignin.

How to distinguish methyl alcohol from ethyl alcohol?

Determine the boiling point. When heating the test liquid in any container and measuring the boiling point with a culinary thermometer, you can distinguish a safe solution from a dangerous one. Ethanol boils at +78°С, and methanol at +64°С.
A simple and affordable way for everyone to find the difference is to heat the copper wire or wiring to a red-hot state, followed by immersion in the liquid under study. If the apple aroma evaporates during manipulation, it is ethyl alcohol, and if the pungent and poisonous smell is methyl. But this test is only suitable for highly concentrated liquids.
Set fire to composition. Drinks containing ethanol burn with a blue/bluish flame without a strong odor.
Potato experiment. If you drop methanol into the middle of the peeled tuber, the area under study will acquire a pink tint. It is strictly forbidden to use such liquid inside.
Experiments with potassium permanganate. If a few crystals of dry matter are added to an alcoholic beverage, there will be no visible reaction. If the liquid hissed, this indicates the interaction of potassium manganese and methanol.

To protect yourself and your loved ones from purchasing low-quality and life-threatening alcoholic beverages, following some rules will help:

choose only trusted brands on the packaging of which there is an excise tax:
the label of the goods must indicate the address and sales offices of the manufacturing plant;
bottles must have protection on the lid, there should be no visible damage to the container;
the tightness of the closure must not be compromised.

When buying alcoholic beverages, their authenticity can only be judged by the excise stamp and by organoleptic indicators (color, smell, taste). However, it is the testing of a burnt drink that tastes like it can be the last for a person if it contains methanol instead of ethyl alcohol. Therefore, in the material below we will analyze how to determine alcohol (its variety) in an alcoholic product.

Scope of methyl alcohol

Anyone who likes to spend festive evenings drinking vodka or other strong alcoholic drink should know that strong alcohol is based on ethyl alcohol. When it breaks down, acetaldehydes are formed in the body, which, although they are toxic poisons for all human systems and organs, still do not kill a person (subject to the dosage of the drunk). What can not be said about methyl alcohol. This type of chemical breaks down into formaldehyde, which is fatal to humans.

For information, methanol is used in pharmacology and the chemical industry for the following purposes:

Formaldehyde production;
Solvent production;
As a component for fuel;
As a component for a windshield wiper in a car.

Important: outwardly, technical alcohol (methanol) practically does not differ from its food companion ethanol in color or taste. Only the smell can give it away, and even then when heated and under the condition of a high concentration of methyl in the drink.

Methanol and its danger to the human body

When drinking a drink with the inclusion of methyl in the human body, a violation occurs in the functioning of the nervous system. But one of the clear signs of methylene poisoning is human blindness. It is worth knowing that only 5-10 gr. methanol can lead to disability of a person. And already 30 gr. methanol cause instant death.

Symptoms of methanol poisoning are:

Hard breath;
Nausea and vomiting;
Flashing black goosebumps before the eyes;
Rapid deterioration of vision;
Pain in muscles and joints.

If methanol poisoning is suspected, alcohol with ethanol should be drunk as an antidote. It is ethanol that is the antidote for methyl alcohol. In addition, you need to immediately call an ambulance.

Important: signs of methanol poisoning can appear both immediately and 8-12 hours after drinking. The main attention here should be paid to visual disorders. If it takes place, then there are signs of methyl alcohol poisoning. At the same time, it is important to save the remains of alcohol (whatever day it was drunk) for examination and identification of the type of chemicals in it.

If the reader is trying to understand how to test alcohol for the presence of methanol, then at home you can use the following methods:

Heating oxidized copper wire and lowering it into a drink. Here you should take a rod of copper wire and ignite it white on fire. Then the rod is lowered into the tested drink and immediately taken out. It is important to bring the wire to your nose immediately and sniff the resulting fumes. Normal ethyl alcohol will smell like slightly soaked fermented apples, while methanol will give off the characteristic pungent smell of formaldehyde. This test method is based on some oxidation of alcohol and its decomposition. When heated, ethanol will oxidize to acetaldehyde, and methanol to formaldehyde.

Important: but it is worth considering that such a method may not be entirely reliable. The fact is that the drink can contain both ethanol and methyl alcohol in equal parts. And therefore, when the drink is heated, the first can mask the smell of the second, and as a result it will be impossible to distinguish alcohols. Ethyl alcohol, of course, will play the role of an antidote in such alcohol, but it is still not recommended to drink it if a person has even the slightest suspicion about the quality of alcohol.

Bringing alcohol to a boil- one of the proven methods for detecting methanol. In this case, the test is based on the fact that methyl alcohol boils at lower temperatures than ethyl alcohol. To check and determine methanol in a drink, you need to pour a small amount of it into the dishes and bring to a boil. This will require a special thermometer. So, methyl alcohol will boil at a temperature of 64.7 degrees, while ethanol boils at a temperature of 78.4 degrees Celsius.
Burning alcohol- no less proven method. In this case, the definition of methanol or ethanol can be carried out by the color of the flame. That is, we set fire to a suspicious drink and follow the flame. The burning of methyl alcohol will be accompanied by a greenish flame. Ethyl alcohol burns with a bluish flame.
Potato acidification is also a proven way. You can identify the quality of vodka and the presence of methylene in it with the help of a root crop. We take a potato, peel it, and throw a piece into a suspicious drink. By the color of the tuber, we determine the presence of methanol in vodka. If the potatoes turn pink, then there is methyl alcohol in the vodka. If the tuber remains original, we have ethyl alcohol.

Important: it is worth knowing that all the above verification methods are relevant if methyl alcohol is contained in a drink in high concentration. When mixing alcohols, it is difficult to detect the presence of methanol in alcohol. Here you should rely only on your sense of smell - if the drink smells unpleasant, it is better to refrain from drinking it.

We insure ourselves against buying pallets

Pay attention to these points when buying:

Appearance of the liquid. Vodka should be clear and free of sediment. When shaking, methyl alcohol gives a strong foam, ethanol does not form it.
Bottle. It must be transparent, evenly molded and not chipped.
Excise. On high-quality alcohol, it is glued evenly, has even geometric parameters.
Label. Good alcohol has a clear label with the name of the drink, holographic signs of the manufacturer, legal and physical addresses of the manufacturer, as well as links to all legal acts / documents of the enterprise.
Beverage cork. Should not rotate and show obvious signs of opening the bottle.
Price. The obviously underestimated cost of good alcohol should arouse suspicion.

In order not to torment yourself with doubts (not to look for information on how to recognize ethanol) and not to put your health and guests at risk, it is better to buy alcohol either in chain hypermarkets or in specialized alcohol stores.

Remember: your health is solely in your hands. And therefore, in order not to look for ways to determine the quality of an alcoholic beverage, it is better to refuse it altogether if there is a suspicion of burnt products.

How to determine the presence of methyl alcohol 5.00 /5 (100.00%) 7

Recently, cases of poisoning people with counterfeit alcohol have become more frequent, the main cause of poisoning is the presence of methyl alcohol in the counterfeit, which is a poison for the human body.

Therefore, you can buy alcohol only in normal stores, where you are more likely to buy an original drink, in addition, you should pay close attention to the packaging and distinctive features of each original drink.

But, the amount of counterfeit lately is so great that even when buying drinks in reputable stores and carefully studying the labels, you still cannot be 100% sure of their authenticity.

In this regard, today we will tell you how to determine methyl alcohol (technical alcohol) that is harmful to humans in alcohol.

Here are a few ways to determine the presence of methyl alcohol:

1. Formaldehyde test. One of the most reliable methods for detecting methyl alcohol in alcohol. To carry out the test, in addition to the alcohol being tested, we will need a copper wire and a fire. The wire is heated on fire, after which it is immersed in the test liquid. If you feel a sharp formaldehyde smell, then you have methyl alcohol, which emits methanol gas. You can't drink it. If, after immersing hot copper in a glass, there is no nasty smell, then everything is fine, you have ethyl alcohol in front of you.

2. Ignition. A fairly simple way to detect methanol. To do this, the test liquid is set on fire and look at the color of the flame, methanol will burn green, and potable ethyl alcohol has a blue tint of the flame.

3. Potato test. To conduct the experiment, it is necessary to cut off a small piece of raw potato and place it in a bowl with an alcoholic drink to be tested for several hours. If after a few hours it has not changed color, then you can drink it, but if the potato has acquired a pink tint, then methanol (technical alcohol) is in the test liquid.

4. Test for manganese. Another reliable method for determining the content of toxic methyl alcohol in alcohol is a manganese test. The fact is that when methyl alcohol and potassium permanganate are combined, a violent reaction occurs with the release of gas.

Therefore, a little potassium permanganate should be poured into a small amount of tested alcohol, if a violent reaction begins, then you can’t drink it. If there was no bright reaction when potassium permanganate got into alcohol, then methanol is not here.

Early symptoms of methyl alcohol poisoning include:

- headache, dizziness, impaired consciousness;

- nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain;

- aggressiveness, followed by stunning, increased salivation, shortness of breath.

If the first symptoms are not so terrible, more serious problems come after some time.

Late symptoms of methyl alcohol (technical alcohol) poisoning:

- on the second or third day, vision is impaired, up to blindness, there is pain in the legs, head;

- Another striking symptom is loss of consciousness;

- a superficial alcoholic coma is possible, with the cessation of contact, the skin becomes cold and wet;

- with severe poisoning, a deep coma can develop;

- in severe cases, death is possible.

Note that for severe poisoning, only 5-10 ml of methanol is enough, and for a lethal outcome - 30 ml.

First aid for methyl alcohol poisoning is gastric lavage, for which the victim must drink 0.5-0.7 liters of warm water (without potassium permanganate and other additives), after which vomiting is caused.

Simultaneously with the provision of first aid, it is imperative to call an ambulance team.

The antidote of methyl alcohol (methanol) is:

- 30% ethanol (drinking alcohol), which is ingested or administered intravenously under the supervision of a doctor;

Industrial alcohol poisoning is one of the most severe. Even with the use of a small amount of this substance, the human body receives serious poisoning, which often leads to death. Now we will figure out how to distinguish methanol from ethanol. The events that took place in the Czech Republic, in which several thousand people were poisoned from counterfeit alcohol, make this information extremely relevant and very important.

The main problem is the lack of differences in taste, color and smell of edible alcohol and methyl alcohol, which is also called technical. This is the main cause of poisoning. Most often, ethanol is found in a variety of household chemicals. However, there are times when methyl alcohol is sold under the guise of medical or food.

Options for determining methyl alcohol

Origin. Buy alcoholic beverages only in specialized stores whose reputation you are sure of. In this case, the likelihood of stumbling upon counterfeit alcohol is much less than when buying in stalls and other dubious places.

Fire. The easiest way to check what kind of alcohol you are dealing with is to set it on fire. After the substance has ignited, notice the color of the fire. Ethanol will have a blue fire, while methanol will have a green fire.

potato test with potatoes? Take a small piece of a raw potato and drop it for a couple of hours in the alcohol you are testing. In the event that the potato changes its color and acquires a pinkish tint, you have technical alcohol in front of you. If the vegetable does not change its color, there is ethyl alcohol in the container.

Formaldehyde method. This method is considered perhaps the most reliable. It is necessary to take a copper wire and glow it on a stove or on another source of fire. Then, with a hot edge, it must be lowered into a bottle of alcohol. A specific smell that has appeared indicates that you have technical alcohol in front of you. Ethyl alcohol, unlike methanol, should not emit any odor upon contact with the wire.

Symptoms and consequences

Symptoms that occur with methanol poisoning:

painful breathing;
Strong headache;
pain in the abdomen and lower back;
profuse vomiting;
general malaise of the body;

It should be noted that the first symptoms of technical alcohol poisoning are similar to simple alcohol poisoning. However, in the case of methanol, the consequences will be comparable to a disaster. It very quickly destroys vision, the nervous system and blood vessels. Severe poisoning occurs when using only 5 - 10 ml of the substance. Death occurs from 30 or more milliliters of the substance.

PHOTO by Alexander DEMYANCHUK/TASS

The following year, a random check confirmed that such a focus of the disease in roach exists. It is not so much the fish itself that is dangerous - it is the carrier of a severe pathogen, but its "ultimate hosts" - mammals that become infected when eating fish. It is they who are overtaken by a dangerous, including for people, intractable disease that affects the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, etc.

The veterinary service of the Leningrad Region again tried to take measures so that no one was in danger: they banned the sale of fresh fish. She recommended freezing “risky” roach for several days, after which the vital activity of the larvae stops and the fish can be laid on a cutting board. It should be boiled or fried for at least 20 minutes, experts advised, and dried for three weeks, no less. However, one could only guess about the features and scale of the disturbing process itself: there was not enough data.

Laboratory tests this year dispelled doubts: yes, serious large-scale studies are needed, the customer of which would be the profile structures of the government of the Leningrad region. A more thorough check carried out by St. Petersburg scientists also convinced me of this.

Although in the bay near Strelna and Sestroretsk, as well as in other areas that are examined by specialists from the State Research Institute of Lake and River Fisheries. L. S. Berg (GosNIORKh), the situation turned out to be different: no pathogens were found there.

Although it is possible that the pathogens that got into the bay with sewage during the construction of the Nord Stream-1 gas pipeline are to blame. Hundreds of workers who arrived from other (including those who fell into the "opisthorchiasis" zone) regions of workers were involved there. This option, too, cannot be discounted, scientists believe.

In any case, only a thorough, several-year-long scientific work, which would include “clear” system monitoring, studies of marine mammals, mapping of dangerous areas of the bay, etc., can only confirm or refute a certain version. And for the implementation of the whole range of measures and control with this disease requires a scientifically sound program that would be based on a solid financial foundation.