What harmful things are in alcohol?

Answer 1

Alcohol is a chemical compound (C6H5OH) that does not contain ingredients apart from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Alcohol itself is a neurotoxin and anesthetic. The other ingredients in drinks are generally harmless.

Answer 2

there are so many. here, I'll list them

ChemicalDescriptionBenzene

(petrol additive)

• A colourless cyclic hydrocarbon obtained from coal and petroleum, used as a solvent in fuel and in chemical manufacture - and contained in cigarette smoke.
• A It known carcinogen associated with leukaemia.

Formaldehyde

(embalming fluid)

• A colourless liquid, highly poisonous, used to preserve dead bodies - also found in cigarette smoke.
• Known to cause cancer, respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal problems.

Ammonia

(toilet cleaner)

• Used as a flavouring, frees nicotine from tobacco turning it into a gas
• Often found in dry cleaning fluids.

Acetone

(nail polish remover)

• Fragrant volatile liquid ketone, used as a solvent, for example, nail polish remover
• Found in cigarette smoke.

Tar

• Particulate matter drawn into lungs when you inhale on a lighted cigarette. Once inhaled, smoke condenses and about 70 per cent of the tar in the smoke is deposited in the smoker's lungs.

Nicotine

(insecticide/addictive drug)

• One of the most addictive substances known to man, a powerful and fast-acting medical and non-medical poison.
• This is the chemical which causes addiction.

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

(car exhaust fumes)

• An odourless, tasteless and poisonous gas, rapidly fatal in large amounts
• The same gas that comes out of car exhausts
• The main gas in cigarette smoke, formed when the cigarette is lit

Others

• Arsenic (rat poison)
• Hydrogen Cyanide (gas chamber poison)

Answer 3

There are no 'poisons' in alcohol per se. Ethanol (the chemical that makes something alcoholic) can be toxic in certain quantities, but so can anything else. All alcoholic drinks will contain ethanol but the other ingredients will vary depending on what you're drinking.

Answer 4

Alcohol is not a harmful substance unless it is abused. When consumed in moderation it is associated with better health and greater longevity than abstaining from alcohol.