UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Rubbing Alcohol - Dangerous?

Category: Toxicology

Keywords: Isopropanol, toxic alcohol, poisoning (PubMed Search)

Posted: 10/4/2007 by Fermin Barrueto (Updated: 11/22/2024)
Click here to contact Fermin Barrueto

Isopropanol (Commonly Rubbing Alcohol)

Rubbing alcohol is 70% isopropanol, like drinking Bacardi 151 (151 proof)
This is NOT a toxic alcohol in the traditional sense
This causes a large ketosis, large osmol gap but NO anion gap and no acidosis
This is because isopropanol is metabolized to acetone (a ketone) not an acid
Toxicity: inebriation, hemorrhagic gastritis, sedation to the point of death/intubation