Overview

Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol, is a clear colourless liquid with a characteristic alcohol odour. Ethanol occurs naturally and may also be man-made.

Uses of ethanol

Ethanol is the type of alcohol that is used in alcoholic beverages. It is used in various other products including solvents, perfumes, toiletries, disinfectants, preservatives and polishes, as a fuel additive and in the manufacturing of plastics, rubber and drugs. It is also increasingly being used as a biofuel. Alcohol-based hand gels in the form of liquids, foams and gels can contain up to 95% ethanol.

How ethanol gets into the environment

The most likely source of ethanol in the environment is from emission from industries that manufacture or use it. The majority of ethanol released into the environment is broken down by sunlight. Therefore the levels of ethanol in the environment would be expected to be very low.

Exposure to ethanol

Most people will be exposed to ethanol in the form of alcoholic beverages in which ethanol is found at varying concentrations, usually from 4% to 40%.

Exposure to higher concentrations may occur in an occupational setting such as in industry, where 100% ethanol is sometimes used. However safe levels are enforced to protect employees who may be exposed to ethanol at work. Such levels are below those that are thought to cause harmful effects.

How exposure to ethanol could affect your health

The presence of ethanol in the environment does not always lead to exposure as you must come into contact with the chemical. You may be exposed by breathing, drinking or by skin contact with it. Following exposure to any hazardous chemical, the adverse health effects you may encounter depend on several factors, including the amount to which you are exposed (dose), the duration of exposure, the way you are exposed and if you were exposed to any other chemicals.

Inhaling ethanol can irritate the nose and throat, causing chocking and coughing. At high levels it can cause inebriation.

Ingesting ethanol can cause mood changes, slower reaction time, uncoordinated movements, slurred speech and nausea. Higher exposures may cause blurred vision, confusion and disorientation, movement problems, vomiting and sweating. Severe effects include double vision, coma, low temperature and fitting. In the worst cases there may also be breathing problems, low blood pressure, incontinence heart problems, blood problems, liver damage and death.

Ethanol may dry out and irritate the skin; there may be pain, redness and swelling. Eye exposure to ethanol can also cause tearing, burning and stinging.

Ethanol and cancer

Drinking alcohol (any kind) increases a person’s risk of developing certain types of cancer. The more a person drinks the greater their risk becomes. These cancers are of the mouth (oral cavity) and throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), gullet (oesophagus), large bowel (colorectum), liver, breast cancer in women and probably also cancer of the pancreas.

Vulnerable people

People with liver conditions may be more sensitive to the harmful effects of drinking alcohol because the liver cannot process it very well.

Pregnancy and the unborn child 

Alcoholic beverages may affect the unborn child, causing foetal alcohol syndrome (or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders), which is characterised by organ abnormalities, changes in facial appearance, lower birth weight and growth problems throughout life, abnormal head and brain development and behavioural problems. It may also increase the risk of death of the unborn child. Such effects are only expected following consumption of alcohol, rather than occupational exposure or the use of consumer products containing ethanol. Ethanol is also transferred to breast milk from the mother.

Alcoholic beverages may reduce the fertility of both men and women.

Children

Children and young people are more vulnerable to the effects of drinking alcohol because they are smaller, not used to drinking it and their brains are still developing.

What to do if you are exposed to ethanol

The level of risk to those following the UK drinking guidelines is considered to be low.

Please see below for advice following exposure to other sources of ethanol:

You should remove yourself from the source of exposure.

If you have got ethanol in your eyes, remove contact lenses, irrigate the affected eye with lukewarm water for at least 10 to 15 minutes and seek medical advice.

If you have inhaled or ingested ethanol, seek medical advice.

Additional sources of information

NHS – Alcohol support

gov.uk - Alcohol consumption: advice on low risk drinking

UK teratology information service – Use of alcohol in pregnancy

COC - Statement on the consumption of alcoholic beverages and risk of cancer

Email chemcompendium@ukhsa.gov.uk if you have any questions about this guidance or enquiries@ukhsa.gov.uk if you have any other questions.