Methanol poisoning is dangerous. how?

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Liquor is differentiated by its alcohol content — from the 5% or so of beer to the 12% or so of wine to the 40% or so of distilled spirits (all by volume). In the beverages consumed for recreational purposes, the alcohol in question is almost always ethanol. In this context, ethanol is technically a psychoactive drug that, in low doses, reduces the level of neurotransmission in the body, leading to its typical intoxicating effects.

The World Health Organisation has found “no level of [its] consumption is safe for our health”. Long-term use leads to dependence, heightens the risk of some cancers and heart disease, and may eventually cause death.

The methanol molecule (CH3OH) consists of one carbon atom bonded with three hydrogen atoms and one hydroxyl group.

Schedule I of the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989 includes methanol. The Indian Standard IS 517 applies to how the quality of methanol is to be ascertained and, together with the Tamil Nadu Denatured Spirit, Methyl Alcohol, and Varnish (French Polish) Rules 1959, what signage methanol packaging should carry.

The most common way to produce methanol is to combine carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the presence of copper and zinc oxides as catalysts at 50-100 atm of pressure and 250° C. In the pre-industrial era, going back to ancient Egypt, people made methanol (together with several other byproducts) by heating wood to a very high temperature.

Methanol has several industrial applications, including as a precursor to acetic acid, formaldehyde, and aromatic hydrocarbons. It is also used as a solvent and as antifreeze. In Tamil Nadu, the manufacture, trade, storage, and sale of methanol requires licenses under the 1959 Rules.

Spurious liquor is characterized by the liquid mixture containing methanol as well.The deadliness of spurious liquor arises from methanol.Once ingested, ADH enzymes metabolize methanol in the liver to form formaldehyde (H-CHO). Then ALDH enzymes convert formaldehyde to formic acid (HCOOH). The accumulation of formic acid over time leads to a condition called metabolic acidosis, which can lead to acidaemia: when the blood’s pH drops below its normal value of 7.35, becoming increasingly acidic. The blood’s pH is normally maintained by a balance between an acid, like carbon dioxide (CO2), and a base, like the bicarbonate ion (HCO3–). The ‘metabolic’ in ‘metabolic acidosis’ means the concentration of the bicarbonate ion is dropping, leading to the acid gaining the upper hand. Formic acid also interferes with an enzyme called cytochrome oxidase, disrupting cells’ ability to use oxygen and leading to the build-up of lactic acid and contributing to acidosis.

India Inc. seeks tax relief for middle class and MSMEs

Income tax relief for the middle class to boost consumption, a rethink of the mandatory 45-day payment deadline for micro and small enterprises, restructuring of GST rates, measures to promote exports and simplify IT imports, were some of the ideas presented by industry leaders to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in pre-Budget consultations held on Thursday.

The Indian Venture and Alternative Capital Association sought a review of the Competition Commission of India’s definition of ‘control’ which covers private equity investors with minority stakes in its ambit.

Assocham urged the government to raise the basic income tax exemption limit to ₹5 lakh with the standard deduction doubled to ₹1 lakh to adjust for inflation. Such tax concessions would lead to growth in consumption without affecting the government’s fiscal position

The Bengal Chamber of Commerce said changes to the IT Act mandating payments to SMEs within 45 days had made things difficult as 60-90 days of credit was the industry norm.

Myanmar armed groups accuse military of breaking ceasefire

An alliance of Myanmar ethnic armed groups have accused the junta of repeatedly violating a China-brokered ceasefire in the north of the country this month and causing civilian casualties.

Beijing brokered a truce between the junta and the “Three Brotherhood Alliance” in January after months of fighting that displaced more than half a million people near China’s southern border.

The ceasefire allowed the alliance — made up of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA) — to hold swathes of territory it had seized in northern Shan state.

On Tuesday junta troops had launched a drone attack that had killed one TNLA member and seriously wounded four others.The attacks were the latest violation this month by the junta, which had shelled TNLA positions and cut roads and restricted the flow of goods to TNLA-controlled towns.

In October last year, the alliance launched a surprise offensive across northern Myanmar, seizing several towns and lucrative border hubs that are vital for trade with China, dealing a blow to the cash-strapped and isolated junta.

Border trade with China during April-May was down by almost a third compared to the same period last year.