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Moonshine and lead poisonng
alledan
Member Posts: 19,541
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A cluster of patients who showed up at hospital emergency rooms with lead poisoning show that moonshine did not die out with Prohibition but is still popular in some cities, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
An investigation in Atlanta showed more than 8 percent of patients surveyed said they had drunk illegally distilled alcohol in the past five years or so, the researchers report in the latest issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
"We were under the misconception that moonshine drinking was relatively rare these days, particularly in an urban area," Dr. Brent Morgan of the Georgia Poison Center, who led the study, said in a statement.
Morgan and colleagues started their survey after four adults showing up at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta had potentially fatal lead levels in their blood.
The patients, all of whom said they had recently drunk moonshine, had seizures, a hallmark of lead poisoning, abdominal pain, kidney problems, ulcers, and anemia.
Lead gets into moonshine when certain containers are used to make or store it. Car radiators were once notorious for producing poisonous brew.
"These four patients made us realize that perhaps lead exposure from moonshine was being overlooked in the emergency department," Morgan said.
His team surveyed 531 people in the Atlanta area, of whom 8.6 percent reported they had tasted moonshine within the past five years.
Of them, more than a quarter had drunk some of the harsh liquor within the previous week.
These patients were very likely to have high levels of lead in their blood. Moonshine drinkers were more likely to be men between ages 40 and 59 and heavy alcohol users.
"To our knowledge, our study is the first to provide rates of moonshine consumption, which was higher than we expected," Morgan said.
An investigation in Atlanta showed more than 8 percent of patients surveyed said they had drunk illegally distilled alcohol in the past five years or so, the researchers report in the latest issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
"We were under the misconception that moonshine drinking was relatively rare these days, particularly in an urban area," Dr. Brent Morgan of the Georgia Poison Center, who led the study, said in a statement.
Morgan and colleagues started their survey after four adults showing up at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta had potentially fatal lead levels in their blood.
The patients, all of whom said they had recently drunk moonshine, had seizures, a hallmark of lead poisoning, abdominal pain, kidney problems, ulcers, and anemia.
Lead gets into moonshine when certain containers are used to make or store it. Car radiators were once notorious for producing poisonous brew.
"These four patients made us realize that perhaps lead exposure from moonshine was being overlooked in the emergency department," Morgan said.
His team surveyed 531 people in the Atlanta area, of whom 8.6 percent reported they had tasted moonshine within the past five years.
Of them, more than a quarter had drunk some of the harsh liquor within the previous week.
These patients were very likely to have high levels of lead in their blood. Moonshine drinkers were more likely to be men between ages 40 and 59 and heavy alcohol users.
"To our knowledge, our study is the first to provide rates of moonshine consumption, which was higher than we expected," Morgan said.
Comments
A guy down the road has been making corn liquor for fifty years and hes the fifth generation. Some people just won't drink store whiskey cause they don't know whats in it. I use it for medicinal puposes only. It does wonders to ease the pain of arthritis.And it doesn't give you a hangover like the meds do.It is legal to make and drink it is just illegal to sell it without paying tax.
Big Daddy my heros have always been cowboys,they still are it seems
Make mine Weller 107 or Wild Turkey 101.
My heros have always killed cowboys.
Love them Beavers
SUPPORT THE I.N.S. , THE COUNTRY THEY SAVE COULD BE YOUR OWN
Big Daddy my heros have always been cowboys,they still are it seems