JBRIII

Methanol is a nerve poison known as wood alcohol. Converted in body to formaldehyde which causes blindness and death. Ethanol is what we drink! I'd be very leary of using methanol even externally.

edrobinsonjr Loc: Boise, Idaho

Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol - not methanol...

Dossile

I stand corrected, I wrote in a hurry running out the door. Isopropyl alcohol is rubbing alcohol and is safe in the ear. Methanol is typically safe but hurts topically. Ethanol is ototoxic topically if it gets into the middle ear through a hole in the ear drum. DO NOT USE ETHANOL TOPICALLY IN THE EAR AS DROPS. Promise, I know ototoxic. So take a drink of your favorite ethanol to help deal with the pain and put the rubbing alcohol/vinegar drops in the ear. Topically it is very safe, only ingested is rubbing alcohol dangerous.

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

Truth be known, methanol, ethanol, normal or isopropanol are all toxic and can kill you. The questions is how hazardous are they. Check a material safety data sheet (or google) for their LD 50 rating (lethal dose necessary to kill 50% of a population). Be aware that they can also have significant effects on bodily organs and functions short of lethality. Serious effects for all of them are based on ingestion, not topical use.

Dossile

Promise, don’t use ethanol in the ear. My knowledge base on the ear is well beyond Google. Ethanol is a well known topical ototoxin. Experiments on Guinea pigs and chinchillas with ethanol conducted generations ago demonstrated the risk with topical use in the middle ear. In real life a popular eye drop that had ethanol in solution was occasionally substituted for an ear drop with the same name and basic formulation but with saline as the solvent. When treating an ear infection, substituting the eye drop with ethanol in it for the ear drop was occasionally disastrous and caused hearing loss. I believe it also caused facial paralysis in rare cases when the nerve was not protected by bone as it passed through the ear. Rubbing alcohol is just fine if it gets in the middle ear. Ethanol has even been used as an injection to kill nerves when the nerve is causing chronic pain.

John Hicks Loc: Sible Hedinham North Essex England

I like vinegar on a bacon roll, one thing when the pandemic is over and we are back to normal time, in the village where I live in north Essex in Englan there is a cafe that makes the best bacon rolls ever that will be my first stop

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

White vinegar could be used as emergency stop bath , mix 50/50 with water, same acid as stop bath.

Doddy Loc: Barnard Castle-England

👍

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Right! I shove a Q-Tip in there to soak up the excess.

Speaking of which, did you see the episode of Mythbusters where they made a candle out of ear wax? Unfortunately, the people on the right and left in this video are no longer living.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2n90cf

charles tabb Loc: Richmond VA.

I asked the nurse about the "Three Fingers" below the shoulder and she said that the rule was 2 fingers.
Had the 2 finger distance shot and never had a problem. No after effects afterwards.
I do understand that if the shot is delivered too high you will get some shoulder joint problems.

cucharared Loc: Texas, Colorado

Methanol may be ototoxic, but the key part of that term is “toxic”, as it is poisonous, a solvent, can be an antifreeze, and is a fuel used in race cars. I’m pretty sure you’ll be dead shortly after drinking any amount. Both you and the earlier poster have led some people to think they could drink this. Do you want the responsibility of someone dying because of your statement?

Ron

Goldyrock

I am getting my 2nd shot tomorrow from the VA here in Richmond. I took 2 Tylenol the night before and 2 that morning. Also took some flexible freezer packs with me to put between my jacket and shirt. Virtually no pain. Hope the 2nd one goes the same.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

It's a little late for this, but I've been told not to take Tylenol before or immediately after. Tylenol should wait at least three hours.

JBRIII

Methanol is what is used in illegal drink in some places, I haven't read of cases in US recently, but I believe in India. It causes things like blindness, etc. due to nerve damage even if you don't die. Anti-freeze using ethylene glycol is also toxic, dogs especially get to it as it is sweet, do not dump it onto the street for example. Used in Europe a while back to illegally sweeten wines, also toxic. Some anti-freeze now uses propylene glycol, I believe, which is less toxic. With alcohols it is how the body breaks down the material, not necessarily the original material, which is the biggest part of the problem. That said, ethanol, drinking alcohol, is toxic in several ways, it kills microbes, too much can kill you, 100% will desicate your tissues and may also contain trace levels of benzene, a cancer causer. Methanol was used as cheap anti-freeze decades ago, but I believe cars run too hot today for it to be used now.

Need to be careful what we say, bad camera advice yields bum pictures. Bad chemistry yields serious injury or death.

I am a chemist, not a toxicologist, but would say never use methanol medically, even externally, unless told by a doctor. Also, remember all ethanol, other than drinking alcohol, is denatured with other chemicals to make it undrinkable. In the lab, special permits exist to allow purchase of 95% and 100% (100% may still contain trace benzene) pure ethanol without paying federal tax. And yes, people have gotten into trouble for diverting to non-lab uses.
Jim