Florida Man drinks a bottle of rubbing alcohol for COVID-19

[RandySF]

CB is a 35-year-old man presenting to the emergency room unconscious. His mom tells the admitting nurse that she found him on the floor with an empty bottle of rubbing alcohol in his hand. CB had read on the Internet that alcohol disinfects the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Afraid that he had been infected after touching his face at the grocery store, CB found a bottle of 91% rubbing alcohol and started drinking it.

Immediately after drinking the entire bottle, CB felt confident. He wasn't going to be infected this time. Someone on the Internet said it'll burn a little on the way down, but in his mind the benefits of disinfecting himself outweighed that burn. As the minutes passed, CB started feeling dizzy. The floor started spinning. He collapsed. His mom heard the noise and found him unconscious on the floor. She called for 911 as he's brought to the emergency room where we are now.

Rubbing alcohol's real name is isopropyl alcohol. Iso- meaning equal, propan-, which is a prefix, denoting the quantity of 3 and referring to the number of carbons, and alcohol meaning a chemical moiety of 1 oxygen bound to 1 hydrogen.

Long chains of carbon are oil. Oil doesn't mix with water at all, but alcohol groups interact with water because water is also made of hydrogen and oxygen. Both the name isopropyl alcohol and its structure not only tells us everything that we need to know about what's happening to CB, but it also tells us why drinking disinfectant isn't going to cure anyone of the virus.



https://www.miamitimesonline.com/covid-19_hub/man-drinks-a-bottle-of-rubbing-alcohol-for-covid-19/article_0a2a9cfa-8626-11ea-a76a-07f198b5e75f.html

[muntrv]

1. Darwin award winner.

[jimfields33]

3. The label on these items need changed

[stillcool]

2. that is just sad..

Great article on what happens when you do such things, but hard to believe people would actually do such things.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. It's OK, Only

There are at least 4 chemistry errors, and the downplaying of acetone in the bloodstream is irresponsible.

Acetone is still a ready electron donor, (oxidizing to acetic acid). In the presence of enzymes & blood oxygen, it could peroxidize and the generate free radicals, perhaps in highly reactive organs like kidneys or liver.

Acetone doesn't just cause some issues & expel in urine, leaving no damage behind.

The LD50 is somewhere around 6,000ppm. That's admittedly 0.6% which is a LOT of booze, or IPA, to drink.

But, this is a level that KILLS 50% of people at this exposure. Couldn't find the LD10, but might be getting to the range of DUI amount for booze.

This article is a little lax on the concern.

[stillcool]

14. over my head, and out of my league..

but I thank you for pointing that out.

[lame54]

4. To be fair...

Florida Man was going to drink it anyway

[brewens]

5. It would probably be more effective as a flaming cocktail. Hey! Waitaminute, thats how we get

the light in us too! It will eventually kill all the virus. You can't dispute that.

[lpbk2713]

6. It must be true. Ah seen it on the internets.

[GemDigger]

7. Before long we will have to grab a tag, go to the counter and present an ID to cleaning first aid

and cleaning products.

[csziggy]

8. That entire article worth reading - especially to educate those who believe Dolt45

It details the effects of various cleaning agents people taken to "disinfect" their bodies and discusses other things rumored to have an effect against Covid-19.

Thank you for posting it!

[ProfessorGAC]

10. See My Reply To Stillcool

Article is fraught with errors.

[csziggy]

12. For someopne like me with little or no chemistry background, it's pretty scary

But then, I'd never consider doing any of the things mentioned in the article or suggested by Dolt 45.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. You Should Be

That article UNDER sells the negative.
It's more than slightly irresponsible.

[getagrip_already]

11. even if that bottle had ethanol in it....

Poor cb would be in a very bad place. A pint of everclear is pretty close to a lethal amount of alcohol to take at one time.

pretty much have to stop all thinking to pull that one off.