Isopropyl Alcohol released from airlock into fermenter.

[Colton McDorman]

I filled my airlock with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol and when applying it to the fermenter about half of it fell into the fermenter. Should I just get rid of the entire batch? I dont want to be poisoned.

 

[jack13]

I filled my airlock with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol and when applying it to the fermenter about half of it fell into the fermenter. Should I just get rid of the entire batch? I dont want to be poisoned.

How much beer/wort is in the fermenter?

If it's 5 gallons, assuming you spilled about 1oz in there, that would mean 1/640th of your beer is IPA (funny that's the abbreviation for Isopropyl Alcohol). So in a pint there would be 16/640th's of an ounce, or 0.025 oz, or 0.74 ml, or about 1/8th of a teaspoon of IPA per pint of beer.

I looked around a little online and there seems to be some variation on what a lethal dose is and what won't kill you but could be harmful.

If you're looking more for opinions on what your fellow brewers would do: Personally, I'd dump it, but only because I'd be thinking about it every sip, and would be worried about giving it to others, not because I necessarily believed it would be harmful.

Either way, if you don't have starsan or booze handy for the airlock, water is fine. Or other beer.

 

[Colton McDorman]

Yeah it was a 5 gallon, pretty sure about a half ounce fell in. I'll just start over and not risk anything. I know to use sani-solution but i was just rushing. Thanks for the help it kinda confirmed my thoughts on the situation.

 

[jtrux]

I put cheep vodka in the airlock

 

[jack13]

Yeah it was a 5 gallon, pretty sure about a half ounce fell in. I'll just start over and not risk anything. I know to use sani-solution but i was just rushing. Thanks for the help it kinda confirmed my thoughts on the situation.

So it's more like half of what I said...I don't know, maybe get another opinion.

Now I'm curious how much gets absorbed into your bloodstream when you use some on your skin. It could be about the same amount as you'll get in a pint.

Like I said I think it's probably more a psychological issue.

 

[Vale71]

Or other beer.

Why would you put beer in an airlock? That's like using honey to try and shoo away bees.

 

[TNJake]

So it's more like half of what I said...I don't know, maybe get another opinion.

Now I'm curious how much gets absorbed into your bloodstream when you use some on your skin. It could be about the same amount as you'll get in a pint.

Like I said I think it's probably more a psychological issue.

Or even if it is comparable to the amount that you inhale from normal use due to rapid evaporation.

 

[S-Met]

So it's more like half of what I said...I don't know, maybe get another opinion.

Now I'm curious how much gets absorbed into your bloodstream when you use some on your skin. It could be about the same amount as you'll get in a pint.

Like I said I think it's probably more a psychological issue.

This.
There is a chance for off flavors from alcohol, isopropyl tastes like nasty everclear. But it's probably mental. People add tinctures with higher alcohol levels without adverse flavors.

Regarding safety, see link below. Readers digest: RDWHAHB

https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+116

 

[RPh_Guy]

I'll just start over and not risk anything.

Good choice.

Regarding safety, see link below. Readers digest: RDWHAHB

On what exactly are you basing that conclusion?
Isopropanol is more toxic than ethanol and ethanol competes with it for elimination.

 

[TNJake]

If you feel like being safe then by all means play it safe.
But for the sake of argument, if a lethal dose is something like 8.5 oz and you have 0.5 oz mixed in 5 gallons of beer you are probably more likely to die from alcohol poisoning from the ethanol in the beer from the quantities that it would take to consume a traceable amount of ipa.

 

[RPh_Guy]

if a lethal dose is something like 8.5 oz

There's generally a wide gap between lethal and toxic doses.

 

[S-Met]

On what exactly are you basing that conclusion?
Isopropanol is more toxic than ethanol and ethanol competes with it for elimination.

It's approximately 2-2.5x more toxic than ethanol. Even higher toxicity when combined with ethanol since ethanol has a greater affinity for alcohol dehydrogenase. If I'm not mistaken, isopropanol is the second most commonly abused alcohol (next to ethanol) due to its access/availablity.

However, treatment for exposure is still hydration for most cases.

Since the volume as stated by OP @Colton McDorman was about 50% volume of the Air-lock as diluted into approximately 5gal, the resulting isopropyl volume is minimal especially divided into 40 pints or 60 12ers.

While I would not recommend routinely consuming non-ethanols, I would document this as a mostly harmless "learning experience" since the resulting volume is GRAS. Much like accidental starsan suck-back, a mistake made once and hopefully never again.

I would hope future-state would be to use vodka or even h2o in the Air-lock instead of iso.

 

[Denny]

I use tap water. In the past I've used vodka and sanitizer. Water works equally well.

 

[bracconiere]

and would be worried about giving it to others,

lol, i've consumed grams in a single day... i belive the toxicity of 'IPA', is similar to benzyl in mouthwash...and for humor!

 

[RPh_Guy]

It's approximately 2-2.5x more toxic than ethanol. Even higher toxicity when combined with ethanol since ethanol has a greater affinity for alcohol dehydrogenase.

Consuming isopropanol with ethanol likely significantly increases the toxicity because it no longer follows the normal first order elimination kinetics. The isopropanol would be in your system dealing 2-2.5x damage to your organs until the ethanol is eliminated. Studies looking at isopropanol ingestion by itself aren't relevant for this case.

To my knowledge there's no safety data that will help determine what an acceptable non-toxic amount is when combined with ethanol. Therefore a degree of caution is warranted, in my opinion.

I would document this as a mostly harmless "learning experience" since the resulting volume is GRAS. Much like accidental starsan suck-back

It's not really a fair comparison with Star San because that isn't toxic.
I don't believe one could call this GRAS, since it's a higher amount than normal food additive levels and it's being consumed with ethanol.

Cheers

 

[bracconiere]

i can add when i was consuming grams, it falsley jacked my breathalyzer up to a whopping 0.38....which if true i wouldn't be able to remember, and would more than likely be in the hospital.....

 

[RPh_Guy]

i can add when i was consuming grams, it falsley jacked my breathalyzer up to a whopping 0.38....which if true i wouldn't be able to remember, and would more than likely be in the hospital.....

I'm sure you have some good stories to tell

 

[bracconiere]

I'm sure you have some good stories to tell

not really, i was only 6-7 beers into the evening talking to a buddy on the phone...telling him that if i was actually THAT drunk i won't remember this tomorrow.....that was last year, so i don't remember now, but that's old age....lol

edit: it was related to my expirementing with naturally produced esters during fermentation....figured isobutanol, why not isopropyl!

edit #2: and you know if i stop posting here, and acting the clown...just drink a homebrew, and know i'm in a better place!

 

[rburrelli]

I put cheep vodka in the airlock

Is that made from baby chicks?

 

[bracconiere]

Is that made from baby chicks?

that's funny, because i just bought a bag of chicken scratch for brewing.....

edit: and this is a homebrewing site we're talking about 70% IPA, i assume the other 30% is Milk Stout for a black & tan?

 

[MaxStout]

If it were me, I'd be tempted to drink it myself, but I wouldn't feel right letting others drink it. But that's my comfort level. YMMV.

 

[S-Met]

It's not really a fair comparison with Star San because that isn't toxic.

But starsan is not safe at full strength and worth mentioning that it contains 10% isopropyl according to msds online. And while 70% isopropyl is 7x greater concentration than starsan, some brewers here report more than 64x more diluted starsan making it into their brew (1qt suck-back) than OPs 1/2 oz.

No one will argue that starsan is safe at or even above standard dilution. I am simply making the same argument for the 15-20ml or even 40ml of 70% isopropyl into 19,000ml of beer. I can't do the %dilution in my head, but its negligible for a 1-time event is less than .1% of abv.

I would absolutely state that this should be a 1-time error and that I do NOT advise nor advocate that regular consumption, ingestion or absorption of isopropyl in diluted or undilute concentrations should be avoided.

 

[bracconiere]

I do NOT advise nor advocate that regular consumption, ingestion or absorption of isopropyl in diluted or undilute concentrations should be avoided.

i'm going to do a double post on this.....fits in random picture thread too...

 

[day_trippr]

Now there's a good reason to drink isopropyl!

 

[Vale71]

Quit posting those pictures. We don't need no incentives to get even more drunk...

 

[RPh_Guy]

But starsan is not safe at full strength and worth mentioning that it contains 10% isopropyl according to msds online. And while 70% isopropyl is 7x greater concentration than starsan, some brewers here report more than 64x more diluted starsan making it into their brew (1qt suck-back) than OPs 1/2 oz.

OP added 10.5g isopropanol to the batch.

1L of diluted Star San would add 0.15g isopropanol. I don't think anyone is adding a liter of undiluted Star San to their beer.

In this case we have 70x more isopropanol compared to your faux safety standard.

 

[bucketnative]

https://www.apnews.com/19875e7aa55b88c1ae41069a1deb0558

 

[kh54s10]

My opinion: Be safe! Dump it, learn, and never use that in an airlock again. Don't know why anyone would have in the first place.

 

[bracconiere]

https://www.apnews.com/19875e7aa55b88c1ae41069a1deb0558

politicians, she should have known it's tert-amyl alcohol you want not isopropyl.....lol

 

[RPh_Guy]

Newbie mistake.

 

[GnenieGone]

Fill your airlock with cheap vodka..problem solved.

 

[bracconiere]

Newbie mistake.

it's easy to get them confused...lol