CHENNAI: Do you know that hooch tragedies can be avoided if victims are immediately administered whisky, brandy or rum along with an equal quantity of water at regular intervals? Explaining the science behind it, Professor P Chandra Sekharan of the Madras Science Foundation said here on Tuesday that the antidote for methyl alcohol poisoning - present in the illicit brew - is ethanol, which is there in whisky, brandy and rum.
He was addressing a meet on ‘Toxicology - What a common man should know about it’ at the Dr Mohan’s Diabetic Research Foundation.Sekharan pointed out that too much of anything is bad. For example, even coffee when consumed in high quantities is toxic.
Dispelling myths that well deaths were caused by evil spirits, he said they occurred because of the high level of carbon dioxide at the bottom of the well due to the plant decay.
Also, when people enter empty wells, they may die due to asphyxiation because of lack of oxygen. “This can be avoided by taking simple steps, such as disturbing the bottom of the well with buckets of water,” he said.
Turning to carbon monoxide, which is a major killer, he said: “we can avoid it by using natural gas instead of coal as fuel.” There are various career options for young researchers in the field, such as food toxicology, chemical toxicology, toxicogenomics, ecotoxicology, entomotoxicology, environmental toxicology and in vitro toxicity testing.
“Toxicology also helps crack cases of crime and prevents miscarriage of justice,” Sekharan said. He cited many interesting cases to buttress his point.