Proof read and correct/improve my presentation outline.
Thanks Zack.
I will be talking about the effects or why moonshine is dangerous. Moonshine is dangerous because it contains methanol, lead, it causes fire & explosion, it is illegal, it contains lye, formaldehyde, and chemical fertilizer. I will briefly go through them one by one.
But before that, there was a moonshine incident that made the headline news worldwide on CNN in 2011. It was in West Bengal, India, where mostly poor villages bought 200mililiters pounces of moonshine for 10 cents. As a result of that, 327 were hospitalized & hundreds were sickened from drinking moonshine so authorities raided liquor vendors and arrested 4 people suspected of selling the illegally brewed cheap liquor.
The first reason why moonshine is dangerous is because it contains methanol. The most controversial issue is the myth that moonshine could cause blindness so Dr. Bruce Goldberger, a professor and director of toxicology at University of Florida College of Medicine did a study on moonshine and found that it is lethal, physiologically to the body, as 10mililiter of pure moonshine could cause permanent blindness, as it is poisonous to the optic nerve and 30ml, which is the amount of liquid in a standard shot glass, could cause death.
Secondly, moonshine contains lead. Studies have found that 80% of all adult lead poisoning deaths are related to moonshine consumption.43 of 48 samples had lead level ranging from 5 to 599 parts per billion. Over half the samples contained lead levels more than the federal water guidelines of 15 parts per billion. Lead has no function to the body.
Thirdly, distilling moonshine could cause fire and explosion. For instance, distilling indoors could cause fire. A leak in still's column could cause alcohol vapor to escape which is highly explosive and flammable.
Fourthly, buying and making moonshine are illegal. However, permitting laws vary from state to state. Distillers choose not to get a permit because too inconvenient and expensive or the average moonshiner. In most states selling moonshine is a serious offence which can result in thousands of dollars in fines and jail time.
Fifthly, moonshine contains lye. It is commonly found in moonshine and when lye enters the human body it immediately begins "digesting"--breaking down cell walls, fats, skin, tissue, and organs.
Sixthly, moonshine contains formaldehyde which is very common. Formaldehyde that enters the body can do harm to the skin, like Irritation, swelling, or a burning sensation but the worst case is that it can cause death as it damages each and every organ
Finally, moonshine contains chemical fertilizer which happens frequently. This is because moonshine is so often prepared in rural (barn-like conditions) so it is logical that chemical fertilizer can easily find its way into the mixture. It damaging effect on numerous organs and chemical fertilizer has recently been linked to brain cancer.
So, those are the 7 reasons why moonshine is dangerous. Now I will pass the floor back to Conlon and he will talk about moonshiners today and he will also conclude this whole presentation.